A Way Home
by Vinividivinci
Summary: Jack crash lands on an alien planet. His team try and find him. The story goes on from there with all the things I love the most!
1. Chapter 1

_**No, no - don't worry. I'm not forgetting or stopping updating my other story. I plan to update more regularly now. I just needed a break and a new story popped into my head. This had all the elements I love most: whump, lost on a planet, romance, etc. Hope you enjoy.**_

"WHERE IS HE? WE HAVE TO GO," shouted Daniel.

Sam looked around frantically in the dim and smoky light. "I DON'T KNOW," she shouted back. "God Colonel, where are you?"

"I will go and look for him," Teal'c called out.

Daniel reached out and grabbed his sleeve. "No Teal'c. There isn't time. We have to dial out _now!_ _SAM, WE HAVE TO GO."_

Sam took a step towards the doors, but this time it was Teal'c who stopped _her_. Daniel was quickly dialing the gate and she looked around in despair. This couldn't be happening. Their plan had been simple. They were going to sneak onto the Ha'tak of the system lord Aker, plant explosives and escape.

They had split up, with Sam and Daniel heading towards the computer core and Teal'c and Jack going to the main control room.

Sam and Daniel had had little problem reaching their destination, encountering only a few Jaffa on the way. For O'Neill and Teal'c, it had been a different matter. They'd run into real trouble when a group of Jaffa had kept them pinned down in a corridor close to the control room. Jack had waved Teal'c on, telling him he'd hold them off while Teal'c planted the explosives as close as he could to the controls.

Teal'c quickly accomplished his mission and headed back – but Jack was no longer where he'd left him. Instead there was a pile of dead or unconscious Jaffa but no sign of the Colonel. Teal'c spent some time looking, but eventually was forced to make his way to the rendezvous point, the room which held the stargate.

They had found out about Aker from the Tok'ra and had been given "inside information". Although O'Neill complained they could never trust information from their so-called allies, he agreed that they couldn't pass up the chance to rid the galaxy of another Goa'uld.

Aker was new on the scene, at least to the people from Earth. He had been active in a more distant part of the galaxy, but as the system lords had fallen, one by one, he had made his way back. He saw an opportunity in the void left and had decided to try his chances at seizing control of as much territory as he could.

He'd managed a few victories of some outlying areas but the Tok'ra, and Stargate Command, both felt that he posed a real threat if left unchecked.

"And of course _we_ are the lucky ones to deal with him," O'Neill had complained. In the end, however, they'd taken the mission.

And it was about to go FUBAR.

The gate whooshed open and all three members of Sg1 looked around, as if expecting Jack to appear any moment. Sam looked at her watch.

"Twenty seconds," she called. Each of the three looked at one another in horror. It was Teal'c who finally made the decision.

He reached out and grabbed each of his comrades, his friends, by the arm and pulled them through the event horizon. Both Daniel and Sam resisted, but in the end they had no choice.

The moment they appeared in the gateroom Teal'c shouted. "CLOSE THE IRIS". A second later it closed, although they still felt and heard the sound of some force hitting the iris.

The Goa'uld ship had exploded.

* * *

Jack knew that there was no time to make it back to the stargate. He'd managed to stop most of the Jaffa and was about to join Teal'c, when he heard footsteps approaching from behind.

Too many footsteps!

"Oh crap!" he muttered. Taking out the last fighter in front of him, he began to run. He waited just long enough for the Jaffa to see him. He needed to draw them away from the control room, to let Teal'c finish his task.

He ran as fast as he could through the corridors of the Ha'tak, until he'd led them far enough that he could turn and begin firing.

He finally managed to deal with all of them – sparing a moment for a quick thought about how bad Jaffa were at close range fighting. It was only then that he looked at his watch, and realized he'd run out of time.

He grimaced and a quick wave of something – anger, despair, fear – he wasn't quite sure, ran through him.

But his way wasn't to give up. So he only had a couple of minutes before the explosions went off and destroyed the ship. He couldn't make it to the stargate so – think Jack, think!

He looked around quickly and tried to orient himself. Although he often played the fool, he really wasn't and he _had_ studied the layout of Goa'uld ships. Suddenly, with a flash of memory, he realized what he could do.

But he had to move fast.

He began running again, just praying that he was going the right direction. He almost turned left at the end of one corridor, but at the last moment changed direction. A second later he hit a door panel and it flew open, to reveal a hangar full of death gliders!

"Oh yes!" he hissed. He quickly decided on which machine and ran to it and pulled himself up the mounting ladder. He jumped inside and as fast as he could closed the hatch and started the engine – or whatever the hell a death glider used for power.

He took a half second to glance at his watch. 30 seconds!

"Come on!" he murmured. A moment later it started and he was heading toward the exit. It took a few tries before he could open the bay doors but he finally hit the right command.

Time was ticking down rapidly. He knew he only had seconds left. With a quick prayer he hit the gas pedal – or the Goa'uld equivalent – as hard as he could and shot out of the Ha'tak.

He hadn't gone far enough when the ship exploded. His ship was rocked violently, flipped over end-to-end and forced towards a small planet – the only solid body in the vicinity.

He was completely unable to establish any kind of control as the glider careened madly on its coarse. Jack knew that his life was out of his hands. He could only hope that it would eventually slow down and he could regain control.

In the meantime he closed his eyes and thought of his friends. Just let them have gotten off the ship in time. He hoped they hadn't been foolish enough to look for him, or to wait too long for him.

If he died now – he knew they'd never forgive themselves, even though his death wouldn't be their fault. For them, as much as for himself, he prayed that he lived.

A few seconds later the ship began to slow and steady itself. His stomach was feeling as if it was ready to launch itself out of his throat, his head was ringing and his eyesight was completely wonky. Before things steadied down in his pummeled body, he reached out and tried to take back control of the ship.

He managed to steady it – hoping that it hadn't been damaged in the explosion. It seemed to be handling okay. He checked the controls and all looked fine. He then looked out the window and –

"Holy SHIT!" He pulled up and saved himself, at literally the last second, from plastering himself all over the planet's surface. It took him a few seconds to steady the ship again and then to slow down.

He was sweating and his heart was almost launching itself back into outer space. But for now he was okay. He did, however, have to quickly find a place to land the glider. It had started to make strange noises and he worried that it had been damaged. He had no idea how long it was going to be able to fly.

A moment later it started to shake wildly. It was now or never, he realized. Land or become Jack Splat.

He found a small clearing and was able to bring the machine to Earth. It was a pretty spectacular landing – he took out a number of trees and gouged a huge hole in the Earth. The good news was he managed to land relatively unscathed. He had a few bruises from being tossed around and he was pretty sure he'd aged at least ten years but other than that he was in one piece.

In one piece and on an unknown planet with no gate – or people – in sight.

"But you're alive Jack," he told himself. "And you almost weren't so don't start complaining now!"

After allowing himself a few moments to regain his breath, and to allow his heart and stomach to return to their normal places, he finally opened the hatch on the glider.

There was a brief moment of fear, where he held his breath, but then rolled his eyes and opened his mouth. If the air was poisoned there was really nothing he could do. He took a deep breath and …

Nothing. He was fine. The air smelled – well, like air.

"Okay – you're off to a good start Jack. Just keep up the good luck."

He pulled himself up and out of the glider – grimacing when he realized how long a drop it was to earth – or to the alien planet, he guessed.

"No choice," he told himself. He managed to turn and hang on to the cockpit and lower himself down as far as he could. It was still a drop, but one he was pretty sure he'd survive without too much damage.

"Okay, that hurt," he said when he regained his breath after the drop. His ankles and knees hurt from the fall, but he was pretty sure nothing had been broken, or even severely sprained. His luck was holding.

Now of course the bad news was he had limited supplies with him. They had needed to move quickly and quietly through the Ha'tak and certainly hadn't planned on staying anywhere for any length of time. So he basically had his weapon, ammunition – although that was depleted after the firefights on the Ha'tak, a small emergency kit, first aid kit and a few odds and ends that he always travelled with. He also had four energy bars, which wouldn't keep him too long if this planet was short on food.

No point worrying about that now, he decided. First he had to find out whether there was a stargate or life on this planet.

He did a 360 degree turn, but every direction looked about the same. He'd landed in a hilly area that was dotted with trees. It looked semi-arid, which worried him in terms of water. He had one canteen with him, but it was half-full – or half-empty he supposed.

"Well, might as well pick a direction Jack. Maybe your luck will continue to hold."

He looked around one more time and with a quirk of his eyebrow, picked a direction and began to walk. Maybe, just maybe, he'd walk right to the stargate and gate home.

Miracles really _do_ happen, sometime, he kept telling himself.

By nighttime his hope in miracles had begun to wane, although not disappear completely. He'd give it three days – or until he dropped dead from thirst – until he would give up. He kept walking.

He wondered if his teammates would think about checking the planet to see if he had made it. They were notorious for pulling rabbits from their hats at the last minute and he knew his team wouldn't give up on him. They hadn't before, pulling him back from more than one seemingly impossible situation. Surely they would check out neighboring planets and do a double check.

Of course they wouldn't know where to look for him. The planet, even if it was a small one, was a pretty big piece of territory. Even if there was a gate, it could be on the other side of the planet. He hadn't had a chance to study it during his wild ride. He'd only seen a small bit of the planet and had no idea about it's terrain, other than what he could see in front of him, or even whether it was inhabited.

"But there had to be a reason the Ha'tak had been close," he muttered. "So there _must_ be something here."

There could be people, he thought. Maybe they were Aker's subjects and he was coming to be worshipped. Goa'ulds liked to be worshipped.

But no – the Tok'ra had said he was a newby to this part of the galaxy. So maybe he was trying to find a new home world for himself.

And that could mean the planet was deserted. Damn, if that was the case things could get tough.

Suddenly he stopped. He had heard something up ahead. He listened carefully.

"YES!" he shook his fist and started forward. There was water up ahead.

* * *

"He can't be dead!" Daniel said for at least the tenth time. "This is _Jack_ we're talking about!"

"What does that mean, Daniel?" Sam asked bitterly. "That he's immortal? That he's impervious to being ripped apart by a bomb?"

"No, of course not. But you and I know how good he is at pulling his ass out of the fire – or ours for that matter – at the last minute. We can't assume that he's gone."

"Teal'c, what are your thoughts?" Hammond asked heavily. The team had told him immediately on returning from their mission what had happened. It was clear that they were all devastated and suffering the pain of loss as well as guilt.

Hammond had sent them all for showers and to be checked out by Frasier. They were only now getting down to the debrief and he hoped with everything in him that Jack had somehow – once again – managed to dodge the bullet.

"O'Neill would have done everything he could to escape, but I fear there was little chance. I believe he drew the Jaffa away to allow me to complete my mission and to save my life. I believe he died a hero."

"You think he's gone too, Teal'c?" Daniel asked with a frown. "I thought you'd have more faith in him."

"I do Daniel Jackson. I have faith that O'Neill died saving others. It is the way he would have wanted to die."

"Well I for one don't think he wanted to die at all. And I don't think he _is_ dead," Daniel said defiantly. "He's still out there and we need to find him!"

"Major Carter, what are your thoughts."

"Well, I don't see how he could have escaped, but Daniel is right Sir. Colonel O'Neill is really good at finding his way out of tight spots. If there is any way that he could have escaped – well, I think we should look into it."

"All right, I agree," Hammond nodded. "So we need to figure out what options he could have had. Teal'c, what other ways are there to escape a Ha'tak?"

Teal'c frowned and then gave one short nod, as if by that he was agreeing that Jack was, indeed still alive.

"Other than the stargate, all Ha'taks come equipped with at least one, and often more ring rooms. I do not believe the ship was close enough to any planet or another ship to enable him to use the rings."

"Okay – so no rings. What else?" Hammond asked.

"The only other option would have been a ship," he told the others. "Just as we escaped from Apophis ship, so too could have O'Neill."

"Of course!" Daniel snapped his fingers. "He could have made it to the hangar and stolen a glider. Teal'c," he turned to his friend, "how far would the death glider hangar be from the control room?"

Teal'c frowned for a moment. "It would be some distance away," he said. "He would have had to move there very quickly, almost immediately after I left him. He could have done it, although it would have been very close."

"And could he steal a vessel?"

"They are left ready to fly at all times," Teal'c told them. "As long as there were no guards, he could have taken one."

"All right," Daniel said, standing up and moving around the room. "We need to find out where the nearest planet is from where the Ha'tak was. Sam, can you find out the exact location of the Ha'tak based on the address?"

"Of course," she replied. "But it will take a little while to map which planets are close by. Sir?" she turned to the General.

"Of course Major – go. And let's all hope that Colonel O'Neill's ability to pull miracles out of his hat has remained."

* * *

Colonel O'Neill's miracle quotient had seemingly run out. After finding the water – and drinking as much as he could and then filling his canteen – he hadn't had much luck with anything.

He'd allowed himself to eat one protein bar, which had helped his hunger a bit. But so far he hadn't seen any life except for a few tiny birds – which wouldn't make for a particularly hearty dinner. Other than that he hadn't seen so much as a mouse.

"Of course I'd have to land on a planet with nothing but robins and sparrows! Couldn't there be a deer or an antelope – or hell, even a wild pig?" he said to the skies. He had a sneaking feeling that he was going to get much hungrier before long!

That night he built himself a small lean-to made from branches and twigs. In the end it was pretty snug, although he had no idea how cold it got at night. He was able to pile up some leaves, so the bed wasn't bad. He snuggled down into the small shelter, and tried not to think about his growling stomach – or the possibility that his friends had perished.

"Nope," he finally said to himself. "They made it! This is Daniel, Teal'c and Carter we're talkin' about. They're home, safe and sound, snug in their beds.

And eaten up with guilt over their CO.

Jack sighed and tried to go to sleep. Tomorrow was a big day. Find more water, find food and find a way home.

"Yup – you need your rest O'Neill." He closed his eyes and fell into a restless sleep.


	2. The Lost

"What did you find out, Major," General Hammond asked. They were again sitting around the table in the briefing room. While they all looked tired and worried, at least Hammond was pleased to see that there was some spark of hope in their eyes.

"I've managed to come up with what I think was the final location of the Ha'tak based on the information the To'kra gave us," she said. "I'm waiting to hear back from them to confirm it."

"What did you find?" Daniel asked eagerly.

Sam glanced down and shuffled her papers and then slowly looked back up. "Not good news, I'm afraid," she said. "We knew that Aker had been living in the far edges of the galaxy but that recently he had begun to advance into the territory of some of the system lords we've encountered."

"Okay, that's what the To'kra told us," Daniel said.

She nodded. "But we – or at least _I_ thought that it meant Aker was closer to our part of the galaxy. It appears," she went on to say, "that he was farther away than we thought."

"How far?"

"Let me show you," she said. She pulled up a map of the galaxy on the monitor. "As you know, scientists believe that the Milky Way has four arms or spirals that swirl out from the center of the galaxy. We're here," she said. "Our Sun is located within the Orion spur – not a spiral arm itself, but it crosses the Perseus arm, linking the Sagittarius and Outer arms."

The three others all looked at the picture of the galaxy and nodded. They'd all had to learn this once the stargate had been opened.

"So where was Aker's Ha'tak?" Daniel asked.

"Based on the address, it appears that it was here," she indicated a point farther to the edge of the galaxy than Earth "at the very far end of the Scutum-Centaurus arm of the Milky Way."

"And my guess is that is a long way away," Hammond asked.

"Yes Sir. I estimate it to be about 46,000 light years from our present position."

"Even if we had a ship with hyperdrive technology that would take many weeks," Teal'c observed.

Daniel frowned, looking at the map. "But surely there must be gates nearer than our own to that point?"

"There are, but if we gated there we wouldn't have a ship," Sam pointed out. "Our best chance would be if the To'kra, or even better the Asgard, have a ship close to one of those gates. We could gate there and have them pick us up and fly to where we destroyed the Ha'tak."

Hammond then asked the question they all had. "Are there any planets close to that point?" He looked relieved when Sam nodded.

"From what information we've gathered from the To'kra, I think there are three planets within a reasonable distance to the Ha'tak's position," she told them.

"Define "reasonable," Daniel said. "Could a death glider make it to one of them?"

"I don't know," Sam shook her head in frustration. "Our data isn't that accurate I'm afraid. I hope so."

"Any idea as to which of the three planets was closest to the Ha'tak's position," Hammond asked, glancing at the increasingly depressed looking faces around the table . "Jack would have headed for that one."

"If it was able to sustain life," Teal'c added. "Are you able to determine anything about these planets Major Carter?"

"I have some idea," she told the general, "but again my data isn't that accurate and I'm only working off of information the To'kra have given us. We've never been to this area of the galaxy." She then turned to Teal'c. "Unfortunately I don't know anything about each of the planets," she answered. "I'm afraid we're going to have to wait for the To'kra or Asgard to help us out."

"I vote for the Asgard," Daniel sighed. "I mean, wasn't the reason the To'kra wanted us to destroy the Ha'tak in the first place was because they had no ships available to fly to that part of the galaxy?"

"I'm sure when they hear that the Colonel is in danger they'll do whatever they can to help," she answered defensively. "Although I must admit that I really hope the Asgard answer us first. Their ships are able to travel much faster and I expect they know the galaxy better."

Daniel turned to the general. "Have we heard from either of them yet, Sir?"

"No. I have Walter sending regular messages. Hopefully we'll get an answer from one of them."

"If we do not hear soon I shall go to Chulak and speak with Master Bra'tak," Teal'c interjected. "He should be able to find a ship for us to use."

"If Jack did make it safely to one of these planets, he may not have a lot of time, Teal'c. We have to do something quickly!" Daniel told his friend.

"O'Neill has many skills, Daniel Jackson. He will be able to survive until we arrive."

" _If_ he managed to make it off the Ha'tak and _if_ he made it safely to one of the planets," Sam pointed out. "And we don't even know if any of those planets are habitable," Sam reminded them. "The chances of him finding a planet with the needed air, food and water to survive, is one in -"

"Sam," Daniel interrupted, "I really don't need to know the odds! I _know_ it's a remote chance that he made it, but, as we've all said, this is Jack we're talking about. For now I'm going to assume he's alive, on a planet with plenty of air, food and water, and he's just waiting for us to move our butts and go and pick him up."

* * *

Jack just hoped his friends were on their way to save his ass. He _was_ thankful that the planet had breathable air, and an abundance of fresh water, but he would truly kill for something to eat. He had finished the last of his protein bars yesterday and he knew he had already lost a lot of weight. He didn't know how much longer he could go on if he didn't find something substantial to eat.

Unfortunately, it didn't look like anyone was riding – or flying – to a quick rescue. So for now he had to save his own butt. That wasn't anything new for him of course, although this time things were looking particularly grim.

He'd been on the planet for over five days - five very _long_ days. Based on his watch the days were longer here than they were on Earth by a couple of hours.

He had continued to walk every day, hoping that eventually he'd come to a town or settlement of some kind. His first choice was, of course, to find a stargate. Unfortunately, so far that hadn't happened and he figured it was pretty unlikely.

Luckily he hadn't come across anything that was dangerous – no Jaffa, no man-eating animals and the walk itself had been relatively smooth. The one and only issue until now – and it was a big one - was food. Other than a few small mammals he hadn't seen anything that could sustain life. He _had_ managed to trap one small animal, similar to a prairie dog, and eat it. It had barely been enough for a small snack – and it had been pretty awful tasting. Other than that he hadn't seen anything big enough to eat.

On the first day he'd been lucky enough to find the river, which he'd been following ever since. He knew that civilizations often established themselves by bodies of water. He laughed softly – Daniel would have been proud of him for knowing that fact.

He'd been hopeful that there would be fish in the river, which he could catch and eat. He even had some fishing wire and a hook – something which he always travelled with. So far, all he had seen were tiny fish, unfit to eat. He had caught a glimpse of a larger fish when it jumped out of the water in front of him. It looked something like a perch and he'd been hopeful, but unfortunately it didn't seem like any of the bigger fish moved near enough to the edge of the water for him to catch them. The middle of the river was much too fast moving and he didn't have the proper equipment.

"You're taunting me, aren't you," he told the distant fish.

If he didn't find something else soon, he'd have to try and find a place where he could cast a line. He was getting desperate.

He was also starting to lose hope that there were any people on this god-forsaken planet. So far he had seen absolutely no signs of civilization. He wasn't sure how long he'd keep walking and hoping – maybe until he dropped dead of starvation.

Or, he could settle in somewhere and figure out how to catch some of the fish and spend some time looking around for bigger game. Surely there had to be _something_ larger than a squirrel on this planet.

He might be able to survive for longer than a few days if he did that. But what happened if he was stuck here alone and no one ever came to get him? They might think he was already dead. There might not be any attempt at a rescue.

He had to stop that train of thought immediately. Of _course_ they'd come to rescue him. Daniel, at least, would refuse to give up. There wasn't anyone who was more obstinate than his archaeologist friend when it mattered. Thank God for Daniel.

The only problem was that he was pretty sure they'd travelled a long way from home to get to that damned Ha'tak. He remembered the To'kra, Ra'nak mentioning something about Aker being on the outskirts of the galaxy. It could be that it would take them weeks to get here.

Could he survive for weeks? He stopped and studied the area around him – miles of grass with a few trees, the river and little else. He sighed. He'd give it his best try, but it was going to be hard. He took a deep breath and felt dizzy – lack of food he was sure – but then he straightened up.

No point getting depressed. His job was to keep going and survive until help came.

And help was coming – he had to be believe that.

The next morning it was hard to wake up. He knew it was because he was getting weak from lack of food. He had to try and see if he could catch a damn fish. They were there, he knew it. He'd wade deeper into the water and hope that one or two would wander over to check him out.

He pushed himself up and closed his eyes as the world swam around him. Once everything settled down he stood but then had to grab onto his pants. He'd lost so much weight that the waist was too big and they were falling down. He undid his belt and had to poke another hole in it with his knife so that he could cinch it tighter.

"Doc is going to kill me," he muttered. "Hah! Maybe then she won't bug me about eating cake." He thought about Doc Frasier and his other friends and felt a wave of loneliness wash over him. He missed them all. Hell, he missed _any_ human being. This place was going to drive him crazy if he was the only person here.

He tried fishing all morning and eventually caught a small fish – no more than about six inches long. He cooked it up and at least it was something, although he knew it wasn't enough to stave off starvation.

He walked a little bit that day, although he was no longer up to walking for as many hours. By evening he was exhausted and practically fell down after he'd had a long drink of water. He didn't even have the strength to build himself a shelter and ended up sleeping under the stars.

It had gotten colder at night and he tossed and turned, kept awake by hunger and cold. He knew he was in serious shape and by morning he felt even more miserable and on the verge of giving up.

But something inside – something that had kept him alive through all sorts of adventures and _mis_ adventures in his life – kept him going. There was no way in hell he was going to give up, he decided. He was Jack O'Neill, and one tough son-of-a-bitch!

He started walking again, but now was unaware of anything around him. He just put one foot in front of the other. In some ways this reminded him of his trek through the dessert when he'd had the parachute accident – although at least it wasn't burning hot and his head didn't hurt as badly. Although that time he'd known he was walking towards help. For all he knew there was nothing more here than what he'd already seen.

He was so out of it that he had lost total track of time and of his surroundings. He heard the different and distinct sounds long before he really registered them. When he finally realized that he was listening to more than the breeze through the trees, or the sounds of small animals scurrying through the grass, he was already almost on top of whatever was happening.

It took him a few seconds to clear his mind and identify that he was listening to what sounded like staff weapons firing. Normally the sound would have instantly put him on alert, but right now all it did was give him a surge of hope. Staff weapons meant people – even if they were Jaffa.

He couldn't see what was going on, because the sound was coming from beyond the small rise in front of him. He picked up his pace, anxious to see what was happening. He wasn't in any condition to move quickly, though, and almost fell over. He had to slow down, although he continued to move at a steady pace.

He was almost over the crest of the hill when he also realized, somewhat belatedly, that he should be careful. The last thing he needed was to run right into a staff weapon fight. That would be a really crappy way to end his short time on this planet.

Trying to clear his brain, he made his way slowly and carefully to the top of the hill. Once there he lowered himself down on the ground and observed the scene in front of him. The sounds had stopped and it took a moment for him to realize what he was looking at.

"Shit!" he hissed. About 100 feet in front of him, there were three Jaffa and what looked like a man and a woman. The man appeared dead, but the woman was alive and they were assaulting her. Their intentions were clear. They were going to rape her.

Without another thought Jack stood and pulled out his weapon – it took him a moment to realize he should have done it before. He clearly wasn't thinking straight. Oh well – he had to try and save the woman, regardless of the shape he was in. He began to run – this time aided by the fact that he was going down rather than up the hill, and by the fact that his adrenaline was now flowing.

Fortunately the Jaffa didn't see him, although the reason they didn't was because they were concentrating on the woman. He had to hurry.

Finally he was close enough to stop and aim his weapon. He was still dizzy, so he took a deep breath to try and steady his arm and hand. A moment later a shot rang out and one Jaffa was down.

The other two were clearly startled and looked around in terror. That allowed Jack to get a second shot off and one more Jaffa fell to the ground. Unfortunately, the third one had time to retrieve his staff weapon and he quickly fired off a shot.

Jack felt the burn of the staff blast on his right side but didn't think it was too serious. He didn't allow it to slow him down, but instead he got off a third shot – which missed.

"Damn!"

The Jaffa shot again and he barely got out of the way in time. He threw himself to the ground and aimed once more at the Jaffa. He quickly took a shot and missed again. He knew that if this went on for too long he was lost. He didn't have the strength to keep going. He also worried that more Jaffa might show up and then he was toast.

The Jaffa kept shooting his staff weapon and Jack had to keep his head down. It was during a short pause that he carefully lifted his head. The Jaffa was attempting to move closer. Jack knew it was now or never. He raised himself up onto his elbows and quickly got off a shot just as the Jaffa moved. He aimed for the tattoo on the guy's forehead and winced when he saw the spurt of blood. The third Jaffa was down - and would never get up again.

He waited for a few seconds, but no one moved. He slowly and carefully got to his feet, keeping his eyes on the Jaffa and the surrounding area. He didn't hear anything else, but he wanted to make sure there were no others lurking about.

The woman wasn't moving either, and he prayed that she was alive. He knew he had to go and check, but he needed a few seconds to gather his strength. His side was burning and he'd have to look after that in a moment. First, however, he had to check on the woman.

He finally managed to pull himself to his feet, grateful that he'd been able to survive the skirmish, although now that the adrenaline was wearing off he was feeling terrible.. Before allowing himself to collapse he had to make sure the Jaffa were dead and then help the woman – and the man if he was still alive.

He made his way as quickly as he could to where the Jaffa's bodies lay. He arrived at the first one – it was obvious he was dead – and looked at the tattoo on his forehead.

"Yup – Aker's Jaffa." He had seen the symbol during the briefing by the To'kra. Jack wondered how many more of Aker's Jaffa were on the planet and what his plan had been. He'd have to keep his eyes open for others.

He walked over to the next two, both of whom were also dead. It was only then that he realized there were buildings a short distance away. He had completely missed the fact that he was on a farm.

So there _were_ people on this planet. He took a deep breath and felt the terror of being the only person on the planet slowly dissipate. Things were looking up.

At least they were until he looked down at the body of the man. He couldn't have been more than 25 or 30 years old, and he was dead. What a senseless loss of life. Jack then hurried as fast as he could to the woman.

"Damn it!" She'd been beaten and her clothes were ripped, although he didn't think they'd actually raped her, unless they had attacked her earlier, before he arrived. He carefully knelt down beside her, realizing that she was alive, but only barely. He reached over and gently moved the hair out of her face.

"You're safe, don't worry," he whispered softly. "Everything will be okay."

She didn't speak, but she slowly shook her head and a tear fell from her eye. She then turned her eyes towards the dead man. He must be her husband, Jack realized, and felt his heart break for the poor woman. He felt sick at the barbarity of what the Jaffa had done.

He had to get her into the house and see if he could save her. He went to try and lift her when she sook her head again and then looked at him directly. Her hand lifted slowly, but dropped before it could reach him. He gently took it in his and held it. He felt her give it a weak squeeze.

"Please," she whispered, trying desperately to tell him something. "Look - after …" her voice faded and her eyes slowly closed. She blinked a couple of times and then her hand went completely limp. She let out one final breath. She was gone.

Jack's eyes closed and he cursed softly, feeling shocked and saddened by her senseless death. If only he had arrived sooner. Instead, two innocent people were dead. He slowly reached out and closed her eyes. He put his hand on her head for a moment, wishing he could do something, but knowing it was too late. Finally, slowly, he pushed himself away from her and got to his feet. He then turned and looked at the carnage all around him. He felt sick – sick at the loss of life, at the cruelty of it all. It was so unnecessary, he thought. Why, why must there be such evil in the world?

He would have to deal with the bodies, but right now he wasn't strong enough. There must be food in the house. He'd have to look to his wound, eat and rest and then he'd return. He stumbled slightly as he stood, and then began to walk slowly to the house.

He stopped suddenly and turned back as if realizing something. He walked to the body of one of the Jaffa, carefully bent down and after a brief search found a zat. He slowly took aim and soon the bodies of all three Jaffa were gone.

He briefly debated as he regarded the bodies of the young couple but decided he couldn't do the same to them. They deserved to be buried and to have a marker over their graves. He didn't know their names or anything about them, but he could at least do something to honor them.

But now he had to find some food and then rest. He knew he was vulnerable if any more Jaffa returned, but there was little choice. He was about ready to collapse.

He slowly made his way to the quaint little house. It was simple, but looked as if it had been built with love. That made him even sadder as he thought about the young man and woman who he had left out in the field. He was sure they had started their life together hopefully, planning on many years together on this small farm.

He stepped up onto the narrow porch wondering if he was even up to getting something to eat for himself or if he should collapse and sleep first. He figured that wasn't a good idea – he might just not wake up. Nope, food first and then sleep.

It took him a moment before he realized there was a noise coming from inside the house. He frowned and stood, frozen. A moment later his head fell forward and he breathed a sigh. He should have figured it out, he thought. That's what the woman's dying words must have meant.

He took a step towards the door - and towards the child crying inside.

What the hell was he going to do now?


	3. Nanny Jack

_**Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! Keep them coming as they encourage me to update faster! And don't worry - the next update will be of The Prophecy. Vini**_

He stumbled into the small cabin and his eyes immediately found the source of the crying. It appeared to be a one-room cabin, and the crib sat beside the double bed on one side of the room.

Standing up in the crib was a small child, hiccupping with loud sobs, tears running down her face. She couldn't be more than eighteen months old and from the look of her she'd been crying for a while.

Probably scared to death, poor baby, Jack thought. She wanted her mother – her mother who would never be coming back.

He walked slowly to the crib, trying not to scare her, but knowing that her life was now in his hands. He sighed sadly - poor kid.

"It's okay sweatheart, he said softly as he approached. "You're gonna be okay. Uncle Jack is here and I'm going to look after you." He continued to speak to her gently as he got nearer to the crib. She kept crying even as she looked at him intently.

He briefly wondered if, indeed, the child was a girl. She had lovely little curls and was dressed in a nightgown, but he knew that in past years – at least on Earth – people dressed boys and girls the same until boys were older. Well, he'd find out soon.

"Hey pumpkin, it's okay," he told the child. He was standing right next to the crib, but hesitated reaching out for her, not wanting to frighten her further. "I'm not going to hurt you."

He kept speaking to her and eventually her sobs began to quiet down. She looked at him warily, but appeared to be growing less frantic. He smiled at her and that stopped her completely for a few seconds. Her head tilted and her expression changed from fear to curiosity.

"What's your name?" he asked gently, and reached out his hand to sit next to hers on the crib rail. He didn't expect she could answer as she was too young. He wondered if there was anything written with her name on it.

He felt another wave of sadness at the deaths of the young couple. He hoped the woman died trusting that he would watch out for her child. Although how the hell he was to do that, he didn't know.

He suddenly felt dizzy, and knew that he needed to sit down before he fell down. Continuing to smile gently at the child he finally reached over and picked her up. She squirmed a bit but then settled down, probably relieved to no longer be alone.

"You're a pretty little thing," he told her as he sat down on the bed with her. He so wanted to lean back, to sleep, but he knew he couldn't. Now it was no longer just him – he had this little being to look after.

He spent the next few moments just speaking with her and rocking her gently. She had calmed down although he could tell she was on the verge of tears still. She had to be wondering what was going on and to be missing her mother.

He also noted that she was wet. It had seeped through her diaper and onto his pants. They didn't have rubber pants here, let alone disposable diapers.

He sighed. He'd have to find diapers and change her and maybe then he could find something to eat.

"Okay little darlin' I'm going to put you down and find you some clean diapers," he told her. He set her carefully on the bed beside him. It tore his heart when she clutched onto him tightly, not wanting to let him go.

He went to pick her up again when he heard another sound. He frowned, wondering what in the world …

"Crap!" He scooted over the bed onto the other side, the little one still held in his arms. He closed his eyes when he looked down and saw what had made the noise. On the side of the bed, nearest the wall, was a cradle. It was low to the ground so he had missed it. And inside the cradle was a tiny baby – not more than four or five months old.

How the hell was he supposed to deal with it too? Looking after a toddler was going to be hard – looking after a tiny infant was going to be impossible. How was he even going to feed it. He was pretty sure her mother must have been nursing her.

He felt despair wash over him, knowing that he was now responsible for the lives of two young children – and having no idea how he was going to manage it.

The child he was holding, probably sensing his anguish, began to whimper and then to cry. As if on cue, the baby in the cradle opened its mouth and let out an anguished wail.

Jack sat on the bed, his eyes closed. He felt like bursting into tears himself.

* * *

"What's happening?" Daniel burst into the Control room and hurried over to Sam, who was sitting in front of a computer terminal. Walter was beside her and seemed to want to hide from the incoming storm that was Dr. Jackson.

The last couple of weeks had been hell. They'd waited anxiously to hear from one of their allies, but had heard nothing. Teal'c had finally gone off to Chulak, to speak with Master Bratak and attempt to get a ship.

Hammond had been fielding calls from the Pentagon and the President's office and was starting to show the strain. He hadn't said anything yet, but both Daniel and Sam were pretty sure he was under pressure to declare Jack KIA and to move on. They wanted the remainder of Sg1 back in action.

Daniel had been in his office when he'd gotten a message from Walter to go to the Control room. He prayed that they'd heard from the Asgard, or if not them, from the To'kra.

"We've received a message from the To'kra. They're sending a representative shortly," the Sergeant told him when he arrived.

"It better not be someone telling us they can't do anything," Daniel said hotly. "God, I'm beginning to agree with Jack. They're a pain in the ass."

Sam didn't say anything – she figured she needed to be careful, especially since there were other members of the military present and she had to maintain decorum as an officer. But secretly she agreed.

Oh, she would always be grateful to them for saving her father. And she did like Sel'mak. Ironically, she had grown closer to her father since he had become To'kra than before. In many ways Sel'mak balanced the former general and made him more human.

But that didn't negate the fact that they were an irritating and rather self-absorbed race. It was true they had been practically the only force fighting the Goa'uld for centuries but that didn't give them the right to be quite so arrogant. They now relied heavily on Earth, often to save their own butts, and yet treated its people like childish upstarts.

She only prayed that they were coming to offer real help.

"Incoming traveller," Walter announced. He played with the controls, opening the iris, and then they all waited. A moment later a man stepped through the event horizon.

"Dad!" Sam said in relief. She stood and quickly headed to the gate room, followed closely by Daniel.

Her father walked to the end of the ramp and held out his arms as soon as he saw his daughter. Sam didn't say anything, but walked to him and allowed herself to be enveloped in his hug. It was the first time she'd allowed herself to break down since they'd returned from their mission.

She stood there for a few seconds, quietly appreciating the love and sympathy given to her by her father. Eventually, however, she stepped back, wiping her face with her arm.

"Dad, it's good to see you."

"It's always good to see you too, kiddo, but unfortunately not in such circumstances." He turned slightly. "Daniel, it's good to see you too."

"Jacob! It's _really_ good to see you. Can you help us?" It was like Daniel to get straight to the point.

"I hope so," Jacob answered. "Is George here? I think we should include him in this conversation."

"Walter," Daniel called up to the Control room. "Can you let General Hammond know that Jacob is here and to meet us in the briefing room."

Less than five minutes later they were all seated at the table.

"I'm sorry it's taken so long for us to respond," Jacob started out by saying. Although he looked calm, those that knew him recognized that under that exterior he was angry. "I was only informed this morning about what had happened."

"It took them that long to find you?" his daughter asked.

Jacob looked at her askance. "No, they knew where I was, they just didn't want to interrupt my mission."

"You've _got_ to be kidding me," Daniel asked incredulously. "After all that Jack and Sg1 have done for the To'kra?"

"I agree that it's maddening. At least you would have been very happy to hear what Sel'mak said to the Council. Believe me, there were some very red faces in the room."

Suddenly Jacob bowed his head. When he lifted it there was a flash of his eyes and it was Sel'mak who spoke.

"Oh behalf of the To'kra, I apologize. We owed more to our friendship than this. Jacob and I are here to do what we can to help."

"Thank you Sel'mak," Sam answered gratefully. "Do you have a ship that can take us to the Ha'tak's last position."

"Yes, we do," Sel'mak answered. "Unfortunately it will take us some time to get there. We do not have any ships in the immediate vicinity."

Daniel let out a disappointed huff of air. "Damn," was all he said.

Sel'mak gave back control to Jacob. "I know. But if Jack made it to a habitable planet I'm sure he'll be able to look after himself. He's better at survival than anyone I've ever met.

"That's what Teal'c says," his daughter agreed. "But the chances of him having found a livable planet …" she stopped then and no one spoke for a few seconds. They all knew that it was unlikely that Jack had survived.

"When can we leave."

"Dr. Jackson," the general interjected for the first time. "I can't authorize such a mission," he told them. "It'll take weeks and the Pentagon is already telling me that we've spent enough time already trying to find help for the Colonel."

"You're kidding," Daniel snapped. "After all Jack has done? My God – they're as bad as the To'kra!" He turned guiltily to Jacob/Sel'mak. "Present company excluded."

Jacob nodded, although he too looked angry. "This is a To'kra mission, George," he told the general. "We don't need permission from the Pentagon."

"No, that's true Jacob. But I can't give permission for Major Carter or Dr. Jackson to go with you."

"Why not Sir?" Sam argued. "The To'kra could request our assistance and as good allies we could agree."

"I'm afraid it's not that simple, Major," Hammond told her. "They would know immediately what was going on."

"What if you don't tell them?" Daniel suggested. "What they don't know …", he let the rest hang.

"Oh, they'll know Doctor. It would be worse to try and hide it."

"But Sir – this is Colonel O'Neill we're talking about. If he's alive he's expecting us to come and get him."

"I know Major," Hammond sighed. "But it's all our careers if I authorize you to go."

"What if I take leave?" Sam suddenly suggested. "I have weeks that I haven't used. In fact you're always telling me I need to take some time off. If I decide to go and visit my Dad for a few weeks, who's to stop me?"

"And I have leave too, General," Daniel said, sitting up and looking excited. "And neither of us are in any condition to be going on missions," he hinted. "You could _order_ us to take some time off to deal with the emotions of losing Jack."

General Hammond looked at the two members of Sg1 and frowned. The Pentagon would figure it out immediately, but could they do anything about it? It was true that both Carter and Jackson had accrued weeks of leave. They were both way too zealous – or maybe it was obsessed – for their own goods. Neither did well with taking time off. Jack was always bugging them to take a holidy, but they rarely did.

Then there was Teal'c. He'd want to go too but he tended to take all his leave in order to visit his family on Chulak. Still, if he ended up also taking time to deal with what had happened – say on Chulak – who would quibble.

He hit the intercom by his hand. "Walter, please ask Dr. Frasier to come up."

The others looked at him enquiringly, but he didn't say anything. When Daniel went to speak he held up his hand. "Just a moment Dr. Jackson. Let's wait until the doctor gets here."

"General," Janet said as she entered. "Jacob/Sel'mac, hello."

"Hello Dr. Frasier. It is good to see you, although not under such difficult circumstances."

Janet nodded, looking somber. She sat at the table when directed to by the General. "What can I do for you Sir?"

"Dr. Frasier, would you say that the events of the last couple of weeks have been difficult on Sg1?"

She frowned, looking somewhat confused. "Uh – of course Sir. It's always difficult when a member of a close team is – uh lost."

"Do you feel that it would affect their ability to work effectively, especially as their duties are often crucial to the survival of Earth."

"Uh -" she looked at the General and then at Sam and Daniel, unsure of what was being asked of her. "Well General – I – it's hard -"

"I suggested that they needed some time off Janet," Jacob interrupted to give her a hint. "A nice long break would help them to deal with all that has happened and allow them to come back refreshed and much better able to continue their duties."

Janet's expression suddenly changed as she realized what was happening. "I've been meaning to speak with you Sir," she said the General. "My feeling is that Sg1 is in no condition to continue on duty. This has been an extremely stressful time and I would recommend that they take whatever leave they have coming. Under these circumstances they are likely to make errors that could have serious consequences."

"I see doctor," the General answered, his lips quirking in a slight smile. "Would you be prepared to give that as your medical opinion?"

"I'd be prepared to do more than that, Sir," she answered. "I can make it an order."

"Well, you've heard what the doctor said Major Carter, Dr. Jackson. You're both ordered to take leave starting immediately. I suggest you plan to get away for a few weeks and to deal with this tragic turn of events."

"What about Teal'c General?" Sam asked.

"Jacob?" Hammond turned to his friend.

"I'm planning to take a quick jaunt to Chulak to say hi," the erstwhile General said. "I'll be back shortly."

"Well, that's all folks," Hammond said as he stood up. "I suggest you gather all your things together that you'll need while on leave. I don't expect you back until you've dealt with the present issue. Dr. Frasier, if you could send me a copy of those orders?"

"Of course Sir," Janet replied.

Daniel, Sam and Janet all; Janet to write her "report" and Daniel and Sam to prepare for weeks away on a Tel'tak and then, hopefully, take part in a rescue mission.

"Well George, do you think you'll get away with it?"

"They'll be angry," he answered, "but technically there's nothing they can do, especially if it's doctor's orders."

"But letting them go through the gate for personal leave?"

"Teal'c does it all the time and I can say you invited them. They want me to play nice with the To'kra. If they start to give me a hard time I'll simply ask them if they would rather have me offend our allies by refusing to let your daughter and her friend visit you."

"They're still not going to like it."

"No," George sighed, "but frankly Jacob, I don't give a damn!"

A few hours later Daniel, Sam and Jacob left Earth. Teal'c was waiting for them on P3X 2R7 – where Jacob had instructed him to go. Waiting for them all there was a Tel'tak. It was the beginning of a long trip to hopefully rescue one Colonel Jack O'Neill.

* * *

Jack knew the only way he was going to be able to do anything to help the two babies was to first take a few minutes and look after himself. It was like an airplane – first you put the mask on yourself, and then on the child next to you.

He pushed himself up off the bed, leaving two crying babies behind, and made his way to the small kitchen in the corner of the cabin.

There was a small table and two chairs – and one high chair – a sink, a wood stove and what looked like somekind of storage cabinet. He staggered over to it and opened it.

Thank god! It was cool – not as cold as a refrigerator – but clearly used to store food. Inside there was a plate with what looked like some kind of biscuits and a large hunk of meat. There was also a jug of something like milk. He prayed that that's what it was.

There were some vegetables and something in a covered bowl as well. He reached for it and took off the cover. It _looked_ like oatmeal. He lifted it up and smelled it. Yup – it _smelled_ like oatmeal.

He placed the bowl and the plate with food on the table. He then reached in and grabbed the pitcher of milk. He figured the babies were hungry and he was going to have to figure out how to feed them – especially the infant.

He quickly grabbed a piece of the meat, praying that the food here wouldn't kill him or make him sick. As much as he wanted to wolf it down, he went as easy as he could. He didn't need to puke it all up by eating too fast.

He had a few bites to eat – his mouth watering so much it was hard to swallow. There was a jug of water on the counter and he drank directly from that.

The wails continued and he knew he had to look to the babies as quickly as possible. Hoping that the food would give him some quick energy, he stood again and made his way to the bed. He gave the toddler a piece of the biscuit. At first she threw it down, but when he picked her up and rocked her for a few moments she finally calmed down. She then accepted another piece and shoved it in her mouth. Poor thing – she was hungry.

Now to deal with the baby. He walked over to the table and gently put the girl in her highchair, grimacing as he felt the wet diaper. He'd have to get to that next.

Content with the biscuit she didn't seem to mind being put down. That left him free to see to the infant.

He returned to the cradle and looked down at the loudly crying baby. He had no idea if this one was a boy or girl – in fact he hadn't determined if the older one was even a girl. Oh well, time enough for that after they were fed and changed.

He gently reached into the cradle and picked the tiny baby up in his arms. It had been years since he had held one this small – since Charlie was a baby in fact. He carefully tried rocking it, but it didn't seem to help. She – or he – kept crying.

"You're probably hungry, aren't you?" he asked. He carried the baby over to the kitchen and tried looking around for something – anything – to feed it. He poured a bit of the milk, or what he hoped was milk, into a cup and took a careful sip. It was rather watery looking and tasted a bit different from what he was used to. He was pretty sure it was milk though and didn't think it was bad, but then again, food often tasted different on other planets. Difference in the plant life he supposed.

He soon found out that the stove was on. It appeared as if it was the kind that they kept kindled at all times. It was probably a pain to start from scratch so they kept it on low heat until needing it. He added a few logs to the stove and soon had it burning merrily. He then found a pot and poured in the milk and set it down on the stove to warm up.

He just hoped that the milk wouldn't make the baby sick. He didn't think cow's milk, if that's what this was, was particularly good for babies, but for now it was better than starving. He'd have to figure out what to do when things calmed down and when he was better able to concentrate.

Now the problem was how to feed the baby. He searched around again, but didn't find anything remotely resembling a bottle. He stopped, unsure of what to do next. But the baby continued to cry and he needed to figure this out.

Suddenly he remembered his first aid kit. He reached into his small pack while holding the baby in his left arm. He pulled out the pack and dropped it on the table.

There had to be something inside he could use. "Yes!" he hissed as he pulled out the compact stethoscope. He'd never had to use it before and had always thought it rather useless, but now it might just save the day.

A few minutes later, after washing everything, including his hands, thoroughly he had a system rigged up. A buddy of his had told him this is what they'd had to do when their baby wouldn't breastfeed for the first few days.

It took a few minutes for the baby to calm enough to start eating, but once that happened everything seemed to work. He'd taped the tube onto one of his fingers and had placed the end into a cup of the milk. He'd then put his finger in the infants mouth and now it was madly feeding. His finger seemed to work as a nipple.

For the first time since the fight with the Jaffa he had time to rest. The older child seemed content with a second biscuit and so he sat and forced himself to try and figure out what the hell he was going to do.

It took a while for the baby to finish, but once done it let out a pretty spectacular belch and then settled down contentedly. He stood slowly and moved to the cradle and put it down. Now to return to the older child

He ate some more food and then fed the toddler some of the oatmeal, or this planet's equivalent. She seemed to like it – that and a few sips of the milk.

"Okay my dear," he told her after wiping off her face and hands, "time to change you!"

He found the diapers and quickly changed the two infants. The oldest one was a girl, the youngest a boy. Finally fed and dry, both soon dropped off to sleep. He gently put them both down. By now he was ready to pass out himself.

He moved slowly to the kitchen, feeling like an old man. He ate and drank a bit more, made his way outside to the outhouse and then stumbled back inside. He prayed there were no more Jaffa around, since in his present state he wouldn't have been able to fight them off.

Deciding there was nothing more he could do right then, he made his way to the bed and collapsed onto it.

He was asleep in seconds.


	4. Farmer Jack

As tired as he was, he wasn't able to sleep for long. His body might crave sleep, but his mind was too used to always being on the alert while on missions. It caused him to awake suddenly, a feeling of panic making his heart race.

"Wha -?" He rolled over and blinked, trying to remember where he was. It took him a few seconds before everything came back to him.

Groaning softly, he closed his eyes, his arm draped across his face. Crap – how in hell was he going to look after two infants while trying to survive on an alien planet?

With another groan, this one as a result of his physical aches and pains – and days of virtual starvation, he pushed himself to a seated position. A quick glance told him that both the babies were still sleeping.

Feeling like an old man, he stiffly got to his feet and made his way to the cabin's only window. Pushing aside the curtain he glanced outside and saw the sun beginning to move lower in the sky. There was still some day left then. He sighed, wanting nothing more than to go back to bed but instead he hobbled over to the bed, sat down and put on his shoes.

He had a number of things he had to do and figured he might as well do them now, before the infants woke up from their naps.

First on his list was burying their parents. He dreaded the job, not just because it would be physically taxing in his weakened state, but because it brought back forcibly the fact that two people had died needlessly and had left behind innocent children.

He exhaled softly and made his way outside. After a quick check around the yard, he felt confident that there was no one around. Hopefully there were no more Jaffa close by.

He did hear some sounds coming from the barn, however, and knew he had to check them out before doing anything else.

He cautiously approached the crude looking building, and immediately saw what had caused the noise. The small, fenced in yard in front was filled with birds. A quick look told him they were this planet's version of chickens and turkeys. They looked pretty similar to the Earth version of the birds, although there were some minor differences – mostly in the coloring.

"Yes," he murmured. Things were looking up. With chickens came eggs and, if need be, he could kill one and have a nice roast chicken.

Feeling a small sense of relief, Jack then walked around the barn and there found even more to give him hope. In another pen were about a dozen small, furry pigs. At least he was pretty sure that's what they were. They _sounded_ like pigs and they had similar shaped snouts. They squealed and pushed and shoved one another, trying get to the front of the line.

"You're hungry," he commented. He glanced around but didn't see any feed. "I'll have to come back," he told them, and then rolled his eyes. He must be tired if he was talking to pigs.

He made one final discovery in his trip to the barn and that was the best one of all. Goats. There were goats, and at least two of them were female and were ready to be milked.

That's what must have been in the pitcher, he thought. He was pretty sure that he'd heard that goat's milk was better than cow's milk for kids, although it still probably wasn't the best thing in the world. But at least the baby wouldn't starve. After he buried the couple he'd have to try his hand at milking.

He grimaced slightly! It had been years since he'd been on a farm – since he was a boy, in fact. He wondered if he remembered _how_ to milk an animal. His grandfather had raised dairy cows and he'd tried his hand at it a couple of times. He didn't know if goats worked the same way.

"I guess we'll find out!" He turned and headed back towards the front of the house. He'd have to see to the animals soon, but right now he had something else to do.

"Poor devils," he sighed a few minutes later, as he stood over the bodies of the young man and woman. He looked at them for a few seconds, and then said a quick prayer. He wasn't particularly religious – hadn't been since he was a kid - and he didn't know if they practiced any kind of faith. Still, in case they did he wanted to honor that. And it didn't seem right to bury them without some kind of words.

"Don't worry," he said to them. "I'll look after your children and find them a good home. And I'll make sure they know that you died protecting them." He let out a slow breath and then turned to find a shovel.

It took him a few minutes to decide where to bury them, and in the end chose a spot by the stream that ran in back of the barn. It was a pretty spot – quiet – and the ground was relatively soft. He wasn't up to any heavy digging.

He checked on the babies a couple of times, but fortunately they slept long enough for him to finish. The graves were shallow, but the bodies were covered. He planted a wooden marker at the head of each grave. Maybe he'd find something in the house that gave their names and he could return and write them on the markers.

Now that he had finished that task, he had to go and look after the animals. It was lucky that they were here, but he knew they'd be a lot of work. Between them, and the babies, he was going to be busy.

He'd barely taken a step towards the barn when he heard a cry. "Damn." He would have to feed the animals later. The children came first.

It was the little boy who was awake and Jack quickly picked him up and rocked him as he prepared some more of the milk. He hoped the little girl would sleep for a while longer.

Unfortunately, the boy wouldn't stop crying and it wasn't long before he was joined by his big sister.

Jack was pretty sure her crying was more because she wanted her mother, than because she was hungry again. He tried soothing her by talking softly to her, but it didn't help.

By the time the baby boy was fed and changed and he'd picked up the little girl and got her to stop crying, he was once more thoroughly exhausted. He was dizzy and felt sick and knew that if he didn't get some rest he could end up in big trouble.

But there were still the animals to be fed. He sighed and knew he'd have to keep going.

When he tried to put the baby down the little guy began to wail. This was followed almost immediately by the little girl dissolving into tears. Now what? He couldn't leave the babies alone, not when they were crying, but he also couldn't leave the animals any longer.

"There," he said after almost a half an hour of searching the cabin for some kind of solution. "That should do!" He had found two long pieces of cloth in a small wooden trunk. He now had one baby – the little boy – on his chest and the little girl on his back. They were wrapped securely with the bands of cloth – and his arms were free.

Interestingly, they both seemed comfortable with the situation and were quiet as he headed outside. For the first time all day he smiled. He wondered what his teammates would think if they saw him now.

Fortunately he found the feed for the animals in the barn and they were quickly dealt with. While in there he'd also discovered slabs of meat hanging from the ceiling. He would come back with a knife and take some for dinner. He'd been able to gather a dozen eggs in a basket he found hanging against the wall of the chicken coop and his mouth watered for bacon and eggs.

One problem still remained however – and that was the fact that he needed to milk the goats. He closed his eyes and wished he were in Kansas right now.

"No," he murmured, "they have farms in Kansas and probably goats!" Okay then – so he wished he was in Colorado Springs, sitting in his chair watching hockey and drinking beer.

With a sigh he opened his eyes and accepted that he was on an alien planet and he had two goats to milk. He turned back to the cabin to find a pail.

By the time he fell into bed that night, he was pretty sure that he had never been so tired in all his life. A part of him recognized that finding this farm had saved his life – but another part wondered if he was going to survive for much longer. Looking after two infants plus a farm might just be the death of him.

He thought briefly of his team and his last waking thought was that they'd better be on their way to get him. He wasn't meant to be a farmer.

* * *

She tried to stay positive, but the longer their journey took, the more glum she became. She couldn't help but think about Colonel O'Neill and what had happened to him. It was highly unlikely that he'd been able to get to a ship in time to leave the Ha'tak before it was destroyed. And if he _had_ taken a death glider he had probably been destroyed in the explosion. Even if he survived that, she reasoned, it was probably too far to a planet. And even if he _had_ been able to reach a planet, what were the chances that it had a breathable atmosphere?

And if it _did_ , who was to say that there was food or water there for him to survive. It was probably deserted and he'd have to survive on his own, with little to no supplies. Or maybe there _were_ people, but they were loyal to the Goa'uld – or they were Jaffa – and he'd already been captured or killed.

The chances that Colonel O'Neill had survived were – practically –

"Stop it Sam," Jacob gently lowered himself to sit beside his daughter. "Until we know better, we're going to assume that Jack made it safely to a planet and he's waiting for us to come and pick him up."

"But Dad, the chances of him -"

"Nope, we're not doing this," he told her sternly. "You know as well as I do that if there's _anyone_ who can survive something like this it's Jack O'Neill. He's probably found a local village and has been taken in by a nice family and he's enjoying a little R&R before we get there."

Sam looked at her father, ready to argue, but after a few moments she simply nodded. "I just keep thinking that we left him," she said dully. "We shouldn't have left him."

"Sam, don't be ridiculous," her loving father said. "You stayed until the last possible second – any more and you would have all died. And you know O'Neill, he would have been furious if you'd gotten yourself killed for him. And, because you saved yourselves, you can now go and save _his_ butt. You did the right thing Sammy."

She sighed and leaned her head back against the bulkhead. "I know. It's just – so hard, not knowing."

"I know kiddo. Just hang on and we'll be there as soon as we can. And I'm sure Jack is doing just fine."

* * *

He felt slightly better the next day, although he was still tired. He'd gotten a bit more sleep that night, but he'd forgotten that young babies often woke up every few hours to be fed.

He _had_ to find another method of feeding the little boy. His finger worked, but it took too long to rig up – especially in the middle of the night when he was half asleep.

He spent the morning looking after the babies – feeding, cleaning and changing them, and the animals – fortunately all he had to do was feed them. Of course he also had to milk the goats. It had taken a little while the previous evening – and a few bruises – to figure out how to milk the damn things. Of course he was grateful that he had them, but they were a hell of a lot of work and stubborn as – well, as Daniel.

By the end of the day he was again just about passing out from fatigue, although he was starting to get into a routine. He found that both the babies loved being tied to him and carried around, so fortunately that enabled him to get more chores done.

He'd found one more thing that day, which was helpful, although it too meant more work. The young couple had planted a good-sized garden, full of vegetables and herbs. There were a few things he didn't recognize, so he stayed away from them but other than that he was thrilled with the abundance of food now available.

So for now he could survive and hopefully keep the children safe and fed. He didn't know what the future held, although he was too tired to worry much about tomorrow. He just had to get through each day as it came.

After the second day there he'd decided to name the babies. He'd looked around the cabin, but hadn't found anything that told who they were. In fact, there were no books or papers of any kind. That seemed to suggest that the people were illiterate, although he'd probably never know for sure. Maybe they just couldn't afford books or paper.

So, what to name the children? He'd thought about calling them Sam and Daniel, but, in the end, decided against it. It could get confusing when his teammates showed up although he'd grinned when considering it. In the end he'd named them after his own parents; Elizabeth, (Beth for short), and James.

The first few days with them had been rough. Beth had cried constantly – calling out for her mother and father. It broke his heart, and he'd spent a lot of time holding and cuddling her. By the beginning of the second week she had begun to be calmer and he'd even gotten a few smiles from her.

Fortunately James seemed to be a happy baby – at least he was if fed regularly and kept clean and dry. Jack sometimes felt as if most of his day was spent feeding the little boy, who seemed to have a voracious appetite. The rest of the time he spent watching the world or sleeping, from his position on Jack's chest.

Over the next couple of weeks Jack slowly regained his strength and his weight. While there was a lot to do around the farm, he took every opportunity to rest – often sleeping when the babies did. He knew he couldn't go on like this forever, but until he got his strength back he was going to stay on the farm.

He kept hoping that someone would show up – someone friendly, preferably his teammates. But he also wondered if a neighbor would appear. Surely the young couple weren't the only people on the planet. There must be others.

After three weeks, however, he began to worry. He couldn't stay here forever, although he had no idea where to go. The other problem was how to travel with the children, especially with James. He wouldn't be able to bring enough food for more than a couple of days for Beth – and not for more than a day for the baby. His only option would be to travel with a goat, in order to have a constant supply of milk. Having gotten to know the very obstinate, uncooperative animals, he didn't see that as a possibility.

He sighed as he looked at the house and barn, the garden and the animals and, finally, at the two little children who had wormed their way into his hearth. He was well and truly stuck.


	5. Goodnight Moon

"Da!"

"Da!"

"DA!"

Jack jerked awake, his heart thumping madly. Something had woken him up, but he wasn't sure what it –

"Da!"

He briefly closed his eyes, and breathed out slowly. He then turned until he was looking over to the side of his bed, where the crib sat. Sure enough, Beth was standing on her mattress, her hands holding the railing and a severe frown on her face. She wanted _up_ – and she wanted up _now!_

"Beth, it's still night, for Chr- goodness sake," he mumbled. The sun hadn't even come up yet, and here the toddler wanted out of her crib.

She frowned even more ferociously. "Da – _up_!"

"I know," he muttered, throwing off the covers and standing up. He shivered as his feet hit the rough, cold ground. He'd already noticed the weather starting to get colder as the days got shorter.

He reached into the crib and lifted the little girl out. Instantly her frowns turned to a smile – he was pretty sure it was a triumphant smile as she got what she wanted. He quickly felt her bottom, which was dry, and then he padded back to his bed and sat down.

"Okay miss," he told her softly. "It's way too early to get up, so Daddy's going back to bed." He climbed under the covers and tucked Beth in beside him. She instantly curled up next to him, her thumb in her mouth and her warm little body curled around him. Within seconds her eyes drooped and she was asleep.

He watched for her for a moment, a warm feeling in his heart as he looked at the little girl. She must have been cold, he thought, and in need of some snuggling. With a grin he lay down himself and was soon out like a light. Beth was quite a little bed warmer!

By the time James woke up, crying for breakfast, the sun had peeked over the horizon and a dim, warm glow appeared through the cracks in the curtains. The day had begun.

Jack did his usual morning routine. He quickly fed each child, then threw on his own clothes. Once dressed himself he quickly cleaned and dressed the kids – happy to see that Beth was still dry. He'd have to figure out how to make a small potty for her, since she seemed ready to be trained.

James grinned up at him as he changed his diaper and Jack chatted softly to him. The little boy seemed to be flourishing, so the goats milk, and solid food he'd slowly introduced, seemed to be working fine.

"Okay, time to feed the animals," he told the two children. After strapping them both on he headed out to do all the chores that were required on a farm.

As he worked – and tried to keep the children happy – he couldn't help but think about his situation. He was feeling stronger every day even though the work and the children were exhausting. Still, he had enough to eat and the fresh air and exercise were probably doing him some good.

But he knew he couldn't remain here forever. If anything happened to him – well, it would mean the death of the two young children. And even though the farm provided much of what they needed, for now, eventually he'd have to get more supplies.

He was beginning to lose hope that he'd be found. It was possible that his team had assumed that he'd been killed and weren't even looking for him. An even worse scenario, which he didn't want to contemplate, was that they had not made it off the Goa'uld ship in time and had been killed in the explosion. If that were the case, than Hammond wouldn't be looking for any of them.

"No way," he told James fiercely. "They made it off. Carter would make sure of it, as would Teal'c. Now if it were just Daniel – that would have been different. Nope, they made it home and they're lookin' for me."

James kicked his leg and burbled, while Beth laughed and grabbed his hair. He chuckled, glad to be distracted from the dark thoughts of possibly having been abandoned on an alien planet.

"Okay," he said as he sat at the table that evening, "how are we going to do this?" He glanced over at the two children who were playing happily on the floor. He'd managed to find a number of animal hides and had made a thick carpet to protect them from the dirt and cold of the ground.

He frowned as he contemplated his situation. He had to try and find out if there was anyone else on the planet. There could be a town or village somewhere near. Surely the couple had had to have a place to buy supplies!

Of course he couldn't forget the Jaffa. Their presence might mean that this was a Goa'uld slave planet and he was putting his life, and that of the children, in danger by walking in to whatever settlement might exist.

The problem was, he didn't see that he had any choice. The weather was starting to get colder and if this planet experienced a severe winter he'd be stuck here for who knows how long. And he didn't know if he'd have enough food for the children and him and the animals.

But the problem remained. How in hell was he going to take the children with him?

"I guess I'll just have to take Doc with us," he finally muttered with a scowl. Doc was their goat, and a more ornery, cantankerous animal it would be hard to find. Still, he thanked heaven for her daily. Without her, James wouldn't have survived.

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"Can you _please_ not do that!" Sam snapped.

Daniel glared back at her. "Do what?" he said. "I'm not doing anything. I'm _reading_! Or are you telling me that I'm reading too loud now?"

"I want you to stop clicking the floor with your fingernails," she almost shouted. "Reading is supposed to be a _silent_ activity, so try and be silent!"

"Clicking my _fingernails_?" he said incredulously. "You can't be serious! Yesterday you complained I was breathing too loud and now it's this. And what about you? You snort every five minutes. You sound like a, like a -"

"Like a what? A pig? Is that what you're trying to say? That I sound like a pig."

"I didn't say that," Daniel snapped. "But it is irritating. So don't tell me to be quiet until you can control the weird sounds _you_ make."

"Daniel Jackson, Samantha Carter, you should not be fighting with one another," Teal'c told them calmly, although with a frown on his face. "This does not help anything and makes our journey more difficult."

"Oh go suck eggs Teal'c," Daniel told him. "We don't need your sanctimonious twaddle telling us what to do!"

"Now you're insulting Teal'c," Sam told him. "He was just trying to help. Geesh, what is wrong with you?" she asked. "Teal'c, I'm sorry. Daniel is being a jerk."

" _Me_?" Daniel asked. "You're the one who's been snapping at everyone for days. We can't even read without you bitching about something."

" _Bitching!_ God, look who's talking. You're the biggest bitch -"

"ENOUGH!" Jacob stood over the two, glowering down at them. "Shut up, both of you!"

"But -"Sam started.

"I said _enough_!" her father told her. "The two of you are acting like ten year olds! I know it's tough being in these close quarters for so long. But we're doing it to help Jack so if you can't deal with it then I suggest you go outside for a walk and calm down!"

There was dead silence for quite a few minutes until Daniel ventured to speak.

"Uh – outside is the dead of space," he said carefully. "I don't think going outside would be such a good idea."

"No?" Jacob looked at him. "But it would make Teal'c and me much happier!"

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed with his eyebrow raised. "Daniel Jackson and Major Carter, you are both acting like children. There is no purpose in getting angry at one another."

Sam let out a long, slow breath and finally turned to Daniel. "They're right," she said. "I'm sorry Daniel."

"Yeah, me too Sam, although I wasn't clicking my fingernails."

"Yes you -"

"For God's sake _stop it_ ," her father told them. "Look if you can't go outside – Sam, go to the control room and do a systems check. Especially check to see that none of the crystal components looks as if they're burning out. We're coming to a dangerous areas of space and I want to make sure the ship is in good shape in case we have to move fast."

"Fine," she answered as she wearily pushed herself to her feet. "At least that will give me _something_ to do. I'm so bored I'm half ready to just go and open the door to the outside to create some excitement."

"I think that would create more excitement than any of us need," Jacob smiled. "Now go. Daniel you can help me do a diagnostic on the controls," he told the younger man.

"Uh – oh, okay," he frowned. "But – isn't Teal'c better at that than me?"

"Yes, but he's been doing most of it to now. I think he needs a bit of a break – don't you Teal'c," Jacob looked over at the other man.

"I would appreciate a break," Teal'c nodded. "Thank you. And Daniel Jackson – let me know if there is something you do not understand."

"Sure." Daniel made his way to the front of the ship and sat down with a dejected sounding sigh. "What do you want me to do?"

Jacob glanced at him and then concentrated on the view outside their ship. "Nothing," Jacob answered. "I just wanted to separate the two of you."

"Great – now you're treating us like we're in elementary school."

"Well, if you act like it ….! Look Daniel, I know it's rough. We've been stuck together for weeks. I'm feeling just as antsy as you and Sam, but we have to hang on. We'll be there in another week and all this will be a memory."

There was silence as Daniel looked outside, calmly noting the beauty that was deep space. Finally he sighed. "Do you think we'll find him," he asked. It was something he'd thought many times, but had been afraid to put into words.

Jacob took a few seconds to reply but then he leaned back and turned to Daniel. "I'd say it's unlikely that he survived," he admitted. "But there is a small chance and, until we know for sure, I'm not about to give up."

"No, me neither. I just – can't contemplate him being gone," Daniel said softly. "Not Jack. I don't know what I'll do if he's gone."

"You'll keep going," Jacob told him gently. "There's nothing else you _can_ do. You know that Jack would want you to stay strong and keep up the fight."

"Yeah," Daniel huffed a brief laugh. "He'd haunt me if I gave up."

"He would," Jacob nodded. There was a few more moments of silence and then Jacob spoke again. "Don't give up yet," he told the younger man. "As unlikely as it is, Jack could surprise us all yet. He does have a way of beating the odds like few I've ever seen. All of Sg1 is kind of like that."

"We are, aren't we," Daniel laughed softly. "I bet he's camped out on some planet, mad that we're taking so long to get there. In fact, he's probably made friends of half the natives and pissed off the other half!"

"That definitely sounds like O'Neill," Jacob laughed. "So, for the sake of the inhabitants of whatever planet he's on, I guess we'd better hurry and get there."

"Put your pedal to the metal Jacob," Daniel told him. The two men shared a brief smile and then once again, silence descended.

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Sam was pretty sure that the crystals were all just fine and that her father had sent her back to check to simply give her something to do – and to keep her from killing Daniel.

She frowned and shook her head, disgusted at herself for allowing the situation to get to her. All that was important was that they got to where they were going as quickly as possible and rescued the Colonel. She could certainly hang on for a few short weeks in order to save him.

And save him they would, because there wasn't any other acceptable option. He was alive and he was waiting for them to come and find him. It's what they'd always done. They'd always found him when he'd been lost.

There was no other option because – well because. She was not about to contemplate life without Jack O'Neill in it. He was her – her what? Her commanding officer? Yes, of course. But that's not the reason. She'd had lots of commanders – some she'd liked, some she hadn't, but none had been as important to her as Jack O'Neill.

She refused to think about _why_ that was – it just was. And so, they were going to find him and bring him home.

And then what? Could she go back to the way they had been before?

Yes, of course she could. It's what she – what _they_ always did. Anytime he had been lost, or hurt, she had decided to change things, to admit to him how she felt. She would make the decision that _they_ were more important than duty or honor or rules.

And of course – as soon as everything was back to normal they'd return to the status quo. They'd once again pretend that they were nothing more than colleagues.

Well, this time she had had it. If – no _when_ they found him, she was going to tell him and it was going to be different.

She slammed the drawer holding the crystals shut, and immediately winced. She opened it carefully and checked, but they were all undamaged. The last thing they needed was for her to strand them in space because she broke the damn crystals.

Sam stood and slowly stretched. She owed Daniel an apology – a real one. She knew she'd been cranky and had taken it out on her teammates and her father. That was pointless and she needed to start calming down, and getting ready to rescue the Colonel.

Because who knew what kind of mess he was in now. She knew him well, and although determined to believe he was alive, she also knew it was likely that he was in some kind of trouble.

She slowly walked over to one of the port windows and looked out on the darkness of space. In the distance she could see the tiny specks of light coming from distant stars.

We're coming Sir," she said softly. "Just hang on."

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"Goodnight stars, goodnight air, goodnight noises – everywhere." Jack leaned forward and kissed the sleeping little girl on her forehead. He pulled the blankets up and tucked her in.

With another glance at her sleeping brother, Jack smiled and quietly walked to the chair by the window and slowly sat down. Everything was quiet. The children were asleep, as were the animals. The sun had set and the world was quiet.

He looked up into the dark night and watched as the tiny, sparkling dots appeared in the sky. He wondered if any of those stars was _his_ star. Could he see Sol from here? He doubted it, although he liked to think that maybe – just maybe – one of those dots was the same as the one that shone on Earth. Maybe Sam and Daniel, Teal'c and George, Siler and Walter, Janet – hell, maybe they were all looking up at the sky right now and were wondering where he was.

Or maybe they all thought he was dead.

He sighed and leaned back. "Goodnight stars, goodnight moon." He paused and then, so quietly it was no more than a breath of air, "goodbye Earth." He let out a long breath of air, and then closed his eyes. It was time to accept that he was here to stay.


	6. Others

"Up Da!"

Jack smiled and reached down and picked the little girl up. "Hey sweatheart." He gave her a gentle kiss and then stood back and looked at the wagon. It was as good as he could make it and just prayed that it would work.

Beth bounced in his arms and he laughed and swung her up so that she was sitting on his shoulders. He then turned and headed towards the cabin. It was time to get everyone ready to go.

He'd finally decided that he had to try and find some other people. He couldn't stay here forever and winter was coming – at least he was pretty sure it was. He'd spent the last couple of days preparing a means of transportation as well as ensuring the animals would be okay for a few days.

He figured he had a week, two at the most, to find a settlement or another farm. Any more than that and he'd run out of food, as would the animals. As it was, he was nervous about leaving them, even though he'd tried to ensure they had enough food to last.

The hardest part had been trying to figure out what to do about Doc and Sister Agnes (the other nanny goat). Although James had started to eat solids, he still needed the milk from the goats. Jack had tried to figure out a way to carry enough milk with him, but in the end realized he'd have to bring one of the animals. He chose Doc, because even though she was obstreperous, she provided a bounteous amount of milk.

He'd managed to construct a small pen that he could take on the wagon. That had been the easy part. The hard part had been getting Doc _into_ it. He'd finally succeeded, even though he was pretty sure that he had a royally pissed goat on his hands. He just hoped that wouldn't affect the milk.

His other problem had been who was going to pull the damn wagon. He couldn't do it _and_ carry and look after the children. In the end there hadn't really been a choice, so he'd managed to rig up a harness for Ferretti and Griff, two of the billie goats. They were going to be his wagon team.

Now everything was finally ready to go. He had as much food and water (for both humans and goats) as he could carry. He also had bedding, clothing and – sadly – a stockpile of weapons.

He'd gone through a bit of angst as he'd tried to figure out where to keep them. He had had a number of nightmares where one or the other of the kids had gotten a hold of his gun and had ….

"Stop it," he muttered to himself. He couldn't control his nightmares, but he damn well _could_ control his waking thoughts.

In the end he'd rigged up a safe place for his weapons that his children couldn't access. On top of that he'd watch Beth carefully. James was still too young to be able to do anything dangerous.

The wagon was packed, Doc was in the enclosure, bleating angrily and clearly not liking her situation. The two billie goats were strapped in their make-shift harnesses and were hooked to the wagon. Jack did one more walk around, to make sure everything was in order, and then finally picked up James from his crib. "Okay little man," he said. "It's time to go."

Ten minutes later and he was on the trail away from the farm – a small girl on his back, his little boy strapped to his chest.

Two days later and things were going well. The children both seemed to love the journey, fascinated with everything they were seeing. Beth chatted away with her limited vocabulary, making him laugh at her seeming endless commentary. He chuckled when he realized she sort of reminded him of his two science twins when they got talking. And she was just as incomprehensible as they were.

James burbled and squealed along with her – creating a charming and innocent duet with his sister. His little legs kept moving the entire time – so much so that Jack expected the kid was going to be a long-distance runner as soon as he learned to walk.

For the first day Doc had added her voice to the chorus – although hers had been much more strident. She had not been happy being penned up and she had let him know that. At one point he'd grown so irritated he'd allowed himself to dream of roast goat!

Eventually she had come to realize that all her bitching and complaining wasn't getting her anywhere and so she had decided to be quiet. Jack was positive, however, that she was throwing him dirty looks the entire way. He had a feeling that she was going to get back at him in a painful and humiliating way as soon as they arrived. Fortunately, she kept producing enough milk for the children.

All three of his passengers – Beth, James and Doc, would take frequent naps during the day, the motion and the fresh air lulling them all to sleep. It was those times, when things were quiet and all he heard was the wind and the sound of the leaves, that he thought about Earth and about where he was now.

He missed his friends and his home – the ache almost unbearable. At the same time, his heart was filled with love for the two little children he'd rescued. He had no idea what was to happen, or whether he'd ever see Earth again. He just prayed that whatever occurred, that he would be able to keep Beth and James safe and happy.

It was on the afternoon of the third day that he came to the village. One moment he was in the middle of nowhere – the next he'd rounded a bend in the trail, and there in front of him was civilization!

Although calling it civilization might have been a bit of an exaggeration, he thought as he looked at the sorry excuse for a town.

There couldn't have been more than six or eight buildings all together. Most of them looked like houses, although one or two had a porch and seemed to be either a business or meeting place for the town.

There were people milling about, both men and women. They were simply dressed, much in the style of the 19th century old west. The women wore long skirts and blouses that covered every piece of skin except for their hands and head. The men were dressed simply in pants and loose shirts, similar to the ones he now wore. He had figured he'd be better off dressed as a "native" if he ran into any one, and had used the clothes found in the cabin.

At first glance he didn't notice any Jaffa, although that didn't mean anything. They could be around so he'd have to remain vigilant. But looking at the town as he approached everything appeared normal – or at least normal as far as he could tell.

"Okay," he said softly to the children, "here goes nothing!"

He walked forward, the wagon following just a few feet behind him. Unusually, both children were quiet, probably feeling his nervousness, he thought. Doc was watching carefully, almost as if she knew something was about to happen. Jack could see the exact moment that people in the town started noticing him.

It started with a couple of people glancing up as he approached the village. A few moments later and everyone was staring.

He took one step after another, hoping against hope that people were just being cautious and weren't unfriendly. So far no one had appeared threatening, which was good.

He finally stopped on the very edge of the town, his hands carefully held away from his body. He tried to appear as unthreatening as possible and hoped that the site of the children would reassure people.

A few started to drift towards him, the men in the lead, although many women also approached. No one spoke, but no weapons (that he could see) were drawn.

"Hello," he finally spoke, hoping that language wouldn't be a barrier . He tried to channel as much of his inner Daniel as he could. Although he had a weapon close to hand, the last thing he wanted was to have to use it and put the children at risk.

"Who are you, stranger?" an older, distinguished looking man asked him.

"My name is Jack O'Neill," he replied, relieved that they could understand him and vice versa. "I mean no harm."

"That's Alana!" one of the woman cried. "She is the daughter of Markus and Triana. Where are they?" She stepped out from the small crowd, pointing at the little girl strapped to Jack's back.

The mood of the people began to change, going from cautiously friendly, to fearful almost immediately. Jack knew he had to explain quickly, or he could be in trouble.

"Please, let me explain," he said calmly. He had no idea if the people of this planet were aware of other worlds or whether they had or used a stargate so it was hard to explain how he'd gotten here.

Fortunately the people seemed willing to listen, which was better than the reception he'd had in some places. He took a deep breath and began to explain.

"I was lost – our – wagon was attacked and I became separated from my – family," he told them. "I was hurt and starving and walked many days before I finally came upon a small farm. When I arrived there were three men – strangely dressed men with unusual weapons. They had killed a young man, and were about to assault the young woman who was there. I surprised the attackers and managed to kill them, but the woman had been injured and died almost immediately. I then discovered the two young children in the house." He looked around at everyone, hoping that his story would be believed and they didn't think he had killed the young couple.

Instead of anger or distrust, the people looked fearful. They seemed to turn to the older man, who he assumed was some kind of leader. Jack wasn't quite sure what their looks meant.

"Markus and Triana are dead?" someone asked.

"Yes, I'm sorry," he told them. "I promise, I didn't have anything to do with it."

"It was the Jaffa!" someone cried. Soon the whole group was murmuring and people started to become agitated.

"You know about the Jaffa?" Jack asked the older man.

"Yes," he replied. "They brought us to this place."

"By brought you mean …?"

"We were taken from our home world as slaves by my lord Aker," the man explained. "We were brought here in his Ha'tak to mine nacquada for his fleet. A few of us were chosen to farm as a way to provide enough food for the mine workers. Markus was one such. We had not seen him or Triana for over a year and were beginning to worry." The leader frowned at Jack. "You said you were travelling by wagon with your family. We were not aware there were others on this planet."

"Well, what I told you wasn't _quite_ the way it happened," Jack answered, rubbing his finger along his nose. "I didn't know if you folks knew about the Goa'uld or Jaffa – or even about life on other planets."

"We do," the man nodded.

"Uh – by the way – what's your name?"

"I am Solon," the man replied. "The people have asked me to be their spokesperson."

"Nice to meet you," Jack replied. "Anyway – can I ask what you think about this Aker? Is he your god?" Jack wanted to make sure he didn't get into any trouble for his actions and didn't know whether or not to tell them that the Goa'uld was dead.

"NO!" Solon said sharply. There was also a reaction from the crowd when a few of the men spit, and the women cursed the name Aker. "He is no god of ours! He is Beherit!" spat Solon.

Jack had no idea who or what Beherit was, and wished, perhaps for the thousandth time, that Daniel was here. But he did get the general idea that Aker was not loved.

"Well, you'll be glad to know then, that Aker – or uh this Beherit – is dead."

There were exclamations – some of joy, some of doubt. "How do you know this," Solon asked.

"Because my team and I killed him," he told them. "We snuck onto his Ha'tak and blew it up! Unfortunately I got cut off from my team and had to steal a death glider. I managed to make it off the ship before it exploded and flew to this planet, but crashed the glider. Everything else I told you is the truth."

"You speak truly? Aker is dead?"

"Yup – blown into little bitty pieces."

"Praise be to god!" Solon cried. His words were echoed by the rest of the people, although a moment later he appeared more subdued.

"The Jaffa – you said you killed three of them?"

"That's right. Are there any more down here?"

"There was a squadron of twelve Jaffa here on the planet. We know of at least four of them that are at the mines."

"Great, so that leaves five unaccounted for." Just then James started to whimper. This was soon followed by Beth and then Doc got into things by beginning to bleat and hit her head against the pen.

This started everyone talking again, and the woman who had first recognized Beth – calling her by a different name – stepped forward.

"Let me help," she said. She turned to Solon. "The children need to be attended to and Jack O'Neill should be fed and allowed to rest. Then we can continue this conversation."

Solon agreed. "We will talk more," he told Jack. Fortunately, the way he said it sounded promising rather than threatening. Jack nodded and turned back to the woman.

She began to unstrap Beth from his back and then lifted her up. "Hello Alana!"

For some reason that immediately started the little girl crying loudly. Jack wasn't sure if it was because a strange woman was holding her, or because of hearing her real name. It probably brought back memories of her parents.

Jack next had a crying little boy on his hands, but unlike the last few weeks, he had many other hands willing to help him. Within moments the three goats were taken and he was told they would be fed and looked after. He explained about needing Doc's milk for James, but the women told him not to worry. His things were then gathered and he, along with the children, were led into the town

"Go with Oya," Solon told him. "She and her husband will help you. Once the children are settled the other elders and I will speak with you."

"Of course," Jack nodded. For the first time in weeks he felt some of the tension leave his body. There was someone else to help him.

He followed Oya and her husband Eryx to their small home. By the time they arrived, Beth had settled somewhat, although James was bellowing his lungs out.

"He is hungry," Oya stated.

"Uh huh. I need to get some goat's milk for him."

"You have done well, Jack O'Neill. He would have died without you. But now we have someone who can feed him mother's milk."

Jack frowned, but a moment later there was a knock on the door and a young woman entered, a small baby in her arms.

"You called for me mother Oya?"

"Yes child," the older woman answered. "This baby's mother died and he needs milk. Will you feed him?"

"Yes mother, of course." The young woman stepped forward and handed her baby to Oya. She then took James, and in a blink of an eye had sat down and was attempting to feed him.

James seemed confused for a moment and cried even harder. The woman persisted, however, and soon James was nursing madly. He obviously hadn't lost the skill over the time Jack had been feeding him.

Jack felt a strange mixture of happiness that James was being properly fed, and sadness. As difficult and as imperfect as it had been, he'd enjoyed the closeness of feeding the little boy.

He looked over at Beth – or should he start calling her Alana? No, she'd always be Beth to him. She was playing in the corner with some toys that Eryx had pulled out from a chest.

Jack sat back on a chair and knew that things had changed. He should be happy. He was no longer alone. For some reason though, he felt like he was on the verge of losing something he hadn't had for a long time – his family.


	7. It Takes a Village

Jack made his way to Solon's house, following the directions given to him by Eryx. Not that it would have been hard to find. The village wasn't that big.

He sighed as he walked. It was nice to know that there was someone else now who could watch the children, although it still bothered him to leave them. The one thing that had cheered him up was that Beth hadn't wanted him to go. She'd rushed up to him, crying and grabbing his legs. In the end he had stayed until she and James fell asleep. Oya had smiled and told him he was a good father. That gave him a bit of a pang although it also made him feel good.

Oh boy Jack, he said to himself. You're in big trouble.

He'd barely knocked when the door opened and Solon invited him in. There were three other men and two women crowded into the small room. Solon introduced him and explained that the six of them were the village elders and then asked him to take a seat.

He learned that close to 300 men and women had been brought to the planet almost five of their years previously. Most of them were taken to work in the mines and there was a larger village there. This village – it had no name – was for those who farmed or provided other services such as the distribution of supplies. The two villages were almost a day's walk apart .

"Markus and Triana chose one of the furthest parcels of land," Simon, one of the elders, told him. "Marcus was young and felt that it was better to be as far from the Jaffa as possible."

"And it ended up getting him killed," Phoebe said sadly. "They were such a lovely young couple. Poor Triana. At least her babies survived."

Everyone looked at Jack, giving him smiles and nods. He had to admit that it made him feel good to be treated so kindly by these people.

"But you said that the Goa'uld, Aker, is dead. You are sure?" Solon asked again.

"Mmm hmm," Jack nodded. "We were able to get onto the Ha'tak without him knowing and blow it up quickly. We were suspicious that he might be trying to colonize some worlds, but didn't know he'd actually done it."

"You said "we". Were others with you?" Theron asked.

"Yes. I was part of a team. There were three others."

"Where are they? Do they know you are here?"

Jack took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I don't know," he said, answering both questions with one answer.

"But they _were_ on the Ha'tak with you?" one of the women asked. He couldn't remember her name.

"Yes – and I'm sure they escaped before it exploded," he said. "I got separated from them but they would have made it home," he told them. "There was a stargate on the Ha'tak."

He looked around at the puzzled expressions of the elders. "Do you know what a stargate is? Is there one here?" he asked. It would be amazing if there was one on the planet, even if they didn't know how to operate it.

"We do not know what this "stargate" is," Solon told him. "Is it a ship?"

"No – it's a big stone circle that stands up vertically. It – uh – allows you to travel between planets."

"No, we do not have anything like that, although I wish we did," Theron told him. "We could return to our home."

"Yeah," Jack agreed. "It would have been nice."

"Will your teammates not come to find you?"

"They may not know where to look," he told them quietly. "If they knew – I think they would have been here by now."

A number of the people nodded sadly. "So, it looks like you will have to stay here, with us," Solon said. "I think I speak for everyone when I say you are very welcome. Anyone who has saved us from the Goa'uld is welcome among us."

"But there are still the Jaffa," Theron reminded them all. "And they have weapons that we do not have. And what of the supplies that were brought for us. They will no longer come now that Aker is dead."

Jack grimaced. He hadn't thought of that and wondered if the people would eventually come to resent that he had killed the Goa'uld. He had no idea whether or not the planet could be self-sustaining.

"We have enough here to survive," Solon said. "We have crops and animals and plenty of water and sunlight. Life will not be easy, but we will survive and thrive. And we will no longer have masters over us."

"That is true," the second women – _Chara_ , that was her name – spoke. "I for one am pleased that Jack O'Neill saved us from the tyranny of the Goa'uld."

"Uh – you're welcome," he said, slightly embarrassed. "And you can just call me Jack."

"Jack, on behalf of our people, thank you," Solon said. "And now we need to decide what to do about the Jaffa."

"You said there were four at the mining camp. Where are the others?"

"The Jaffa wander through the countryside, checking on the people living on farms. They use it as an excuse to steal supplies and to torment our people."

"So that's why they were at Markus and Triana's cabin?" Jack asked. He had wondered what had brought the Jaffa there.

"Yes, that is what we believe," Phoebe told him. "Markus was stubborn and may have tried to resist them."

"I expect he tried to save his wife," Jack said softly. "Damned Jaffa!"

"Indeed," Solon agreed. "We must rid our world of them!"

Suddenly Jack thought of something and turned quickly to the elders. "How did they get here?"

"The Jaffa?"

"Yes," he nodded.

"We told you – we were brought on Aker's Ha'tak."

"Yes, I know. I mean how did you get down to the planet? Did you ring down?"

"Ring? I do not know this. No, we were brought in ships – smaller ships."

"And the Jaffa and supplies? Do they travel in ships?"

"Yes," Solon nodded, looking enquiringly at their new resident. "Why does it matter?"

"If we could find one we could go for help," he said excitedly.

"There are no ships on the planet," Theron told him gently. "They drop off the supplies and then return to the Ha'tak. They would all have been destroyed in the explosion."

"Crap," Jack exclaimed softly. There went that hope. "So, I guess it's up to us to deal with the remaining Jaffa."

"Will you help us?" Chara asked softly. "They have hurt and killed many of us and you are experienced with them."

"Yes, I will help," Jack answered. "I just need to ensure that the children will be cared for if anything happens to me."

"Of course," Solon answered, "that we promise". And we will help you even now," the older man said. "You have done well to care for the children, but all of us are here to help to help you."

"Thank you," Jack told them. "There'ss also the farm. I'll need to return before long to look after the animals."

"We understand," Theron told him. "We all agree that it is better that we deal with the servants of Beherit as quickly as possible!"

"I'll need all the information you have on the mining camp and surrounding farms," Jack explained. "I also need to know how many among you who will fight if necessary, what weapons you have and anything else that will help us."

"We will give you all this information," Solon informed him. "But now it is time to eat and I expect you want to see your children. We will reconvene first thing tomorrow morning." He stood slowly and looked at the stranger who had brought with him a change in their lives. He bowed his head towards Jack. "We thank you, Jack O'Neill. You have given us hope."

"You're welcome," he answered. With that he filed out of the small house and headed quickly back to Oya and Eryx' home. He hoped the children were doing okay.

When he walked in he saw the young woman Rumina nursing James. He again felt a pang, but when he walked closer he heard a loud smack. James had released her breast and was grinning at him.

He laughed. "Happy are you, my boy?" he asked. James squealed and wiggled and all the adults laughed. After a few seconds he returned to nursing, although he kept his eyes focused on Jack.

"He knows you are his father," Rumina told him with a smile, "and that you love him and will protect him".

"Yes, I love him and I will do everything I can to protect him – and Beth and all of you. Thank you Rumina," he told her softly. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate you nursing him."

"It is no problem," she told him with a giggle. "I have more milk than I know what to do with. And this allows me to sit and relax!"

Jack smiled but didn't quite know what to say. He'd never really experienced having to talk to a woman about breastfeeding and felt rather embarrassed, even though he knew it was something perfectly normal. He could tell by the reactions of the others that it _was_ simply a normal part of life for them.

Just then he heard another squeal and in walked Eryx with Beth's hand in his.

"Da! Da!" she cried and threw herself at him. He lifted her up and swung her around, causing her to laugh loudly. "Da!" she repeated, grabbing his nose.

"Did you go outside and play?" he asked.

She nodded her head and pointed over at Eryx. "Pappous," she said.

"I hope you do not mind if I take on the role of grandfather to your children, Jack O'Neill," Eryx said. "So far Rumina has only presented me with the one."

"Baba, you are silly!" Rumina laughed. "I have only been married for a year. How many more grandchildren could I have had in that time?"

Eryx grinned and winked at Jack. "So now I have two more without you having to do any of the work," he told his daughter.

"Baba!" she scolded, although it was all clearly in jest.

Jack continued to hold Beth, who appeared happy to be surrounded by these new people. A few moments later and James was done eating. Rumina sat him up and with a big grin he proceeded to fill his diaper. Jack rolled his eyes and set Beth down.

"Here, let me," he told the young woman. He knew she could handle it with ease, but he still wanted to have a role in the children's lives. And he didn't think it fair to give Rumina the dirty job!

He reached out and lifted the now stinky – but happy – little boy. He was directed to the bed in the corner and proceeded to clean and change James.

"We need to discuss how we are going to manage this," Oya said. "Rumina can take the children and watch them – and that way she can feed the little one. You can remain with us Jack O'Neill," she said.

"Uh – it's just Jack," he told them. "O'Neill is my family name." He stopped for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts. "And I appreciate the help, but I need to stay with the children," he told her gently. "They've already lost two parents and I don't want them to feel that I've abandoned them."

Oya frowned. "But you are a man."

"Yes?" he lifted his eyebrow. "I mean, I know that James will do much better now that he has Rumina to feed him – but other than that I can look after both of them."

"The children need him Oya," her husband said gently. He turned to Jack. "I will speak with my son-in-law," he said. "I am sure he won't mind you staying with them. In fact he will probably appreciate the help. He is trying to build on to his home."

Jack nodded. He knew he couldn't be a burden on these people so was glad to offer whatever help he could. "And if and when we go after the Jaffa I'll be glad to know you're watching the children for me," he told Rumina. "What's your husband's name?"

"It is Lukos," she answered with a smile. "He delivers goods to the mining camp. He should return later today."

Jack met Lukos that evening and was pleasantly surprised at the kindness and intelligence of the young man. Rumina had lucked out in the husband department. He wondered briefly about the community. It seemed quite strong and resilient, even with the Jaffa in control.

Jack thanked Lukos for allowing him to stay with them. In response to that the young man grinned.

"I understand the goats out back belong to you," he said.

"Uh – yeah, they do."

"Well then, I would appreciate having one of the kids when they are born as a measure of your thanks," Lukos said.

"Oh – sure. But I don't know when that will be," he said. "I haven't thought about breeding them."

"You may not have," Lukos grinned, "but the goats have. The female is pregnant."

"Really?" This time Jack grinned. "Doc, you old – goat you!" He chuckled. "I will be more than happy to present you with one of Doc's offspring when the time comes. I should worn you, however, she's an ornery one and her children could be the same."

"That is good," Lukos told him. "Her children will be tough which is what we need here."

So it was decided that Jack would stay with Lukos and Rumina. For now he would bunk down in the small storage room off the main room. James would sleep in the crib with their little girl and Beth would stay with him.

He lay down on the soft mattress on the floor, his little girl curled up at his side. Tomorrow he'd think about the Jaffa. Tonight he would sleep, knowing that he was no longer alone.


	8. Nothing

"Nothing?" Daniel asked.

"Nothing." Replied Jacob/Selmac.

"But how can that be?" Daniel whined. "There has to be _something_!"

"Do you think I'm hiding things from you?" Jacob asked sarcastically. "If I said there's nothing, that's what I mean. If I find anything, I'll let you know. There's absolutely no purpose in you standing over my shoulder and shouting Eureka every time we see something even remotely possible."

"I don't shout "Eureka" every time I see something," Daniel told his in a huff. "I just want to make sure we don't miss anything. Jack could be down there, waiting for us."

"Yes, he could, and if he is, we'll find him. Having you constantly hover does not make that any more of a likelihood. In fact, it's so distracting I may miss something."

"Jacob -" Daniel started to say something more, but then stopped. He was standing with his arms circled around his torso, his glasses perched precariously on his nose.

Jacob looked up at him and closed his eyes. He needed to be more patient. Everyone was anxious and hurting over their missing friend.

"Look Daniel, I know you want to help, but I promise you we're being extremely careful. Why don't you go help Sam map out the planet? It's helpful for us to have a grid pattern to follow."

Daniel laughed sadly. "She doesn't want me either," he said. "I'm driving her crazy too."

Jacob swung his chair around and regarded the young man. "I'm sorry Daniel. I know this is hard. In a little while I'll take a rest and you can do the search, okay? There's just not a lot to do on a Tel'tak and I know we're all anxious about Jack."

Daniel nodded his head and gave the Tokra a smile. "Sorry I'm such a pest. Jack would have gotten mad at me a long time ago. You're much more patient."

Jacob laughed at that and swung back around to continue looking for clues that Jack O'Neill had landed on this planet.

This was the third such planet they'd investigated and it looked to be the most likely of the three. The temperature on the first one they'd looked at had been almost 300 degrees celcius and no human could have survived it. The 2nd planet was an ice planet with freezing temperatures and drifts of snow and ice everywhere. They had spent time there, just in case there was any civilization at all or anywhere Jack could have taken refuge.

After an extensive search, and the discovery that there was no animal life on the planet, they all agreed that if he had landed on this planet he would be long gone. Next they'd moved on to planet number 3. It was relatively temperate, had breathable air and fresh water and trees – lots and lots of trees.

Teal'c had been sure that that was a sign that they would find O'Neill here. "If O'Neill were to crash land," he reasoned, "he would do so on a planet with an abundance of trees."

Neither Sam nor Daniel could see the logic in that, although they weren't about to argue. Instead they hoped that Teal'c was right.

After the third day of hunting they had finally discovered sentient life on the third planet. They landed the Tel'tak and Sam, Daniel and Teal'c checked out whether or not Jack could be with some of the inhabitants.

They all agreed, after Sg1 had studied the local inhabitants, that if he'd landed here he would also be long gone. It was clear that the local residents were highly primitive – and also that they were cannibals. The team had quickly returned to the ship – running madly in front of a wild group of hunters - and they'd moved on to another area of the planet. So far, they hadn't seen any other humanoid life-forms. Nor had they found any evidence of a ship.

"Nothing?" Sam asked her father.

Jacob sighed and sat back. "What is it with you and Daniel? Do you think I'd sit here not saying anything if I had found him?"

"Sorry Dad," Sam said as she collapsed into the chair beside him. "I'm just tired."

"We all are. We've been gone almost eight weeks," he said. "That's enough to drive anyone insane in a Tel'tak."

Sam sat quietly, contemplating the planet below. "Do you think he's dead?" she asked.

Jacob sighed but didn't answer right away. Finally he swiveled in his chair so that he was facing her. "I think it's highly unlikely that he even made it off of the ship," he said. "And if he did, and he landed on one of these planets then yes, I think it's probable that he's dead. But you know what Sam?"

"What?" she said quietly.

"Jack would never give up searching for any one of us – not until he'd covered every single possibility. So, until I have proof that he is dead, I'm going to keep searching."

Sam's eyes filled with tears, which she self-consciously wiped away. "Thanks!"

Of all of them, Teal'c handed the enforced proximity the best. He did have to kelnoreem more than usual, to keep from strangling Daniel Jackson, but other than that he found the trip rather peaceful. They hadn't had to fight anyone for a long time and it was restful.

But no matter how nice it was – he still missed, with a deep ache, his friend and brother.

Teal'c was no believer in miracles or luck, but this time he prayed to the Tauri god, as well as any other he could think of (except false ones) that O'Neill had landed somewhere safely and was waiting in village where the natives were friendly, the food was good and abundant and there were children for him to play with.

He figured the truth was probably far from this possibility. Knowing O'Neill, he had landed smack dab in the middle of an unfriendly tribe who immediately threw him in a cage and wouldn't let him out. He just hoped they had not hurt him.

They spent a few more days searching the planet and finally all agreed that Jack was not there. Discouraged, and with heavy hearts they moved on to the fourth and last planet. It was the farthest one out so took a full day to get there. Each of them hoped with everything in them that this would be the place where they found Jack O'Neill.

* * *

After a few days in the village things developed into a pattern. The children were thriving. Beth was enjoying having playmates among some of the other children, and James grew like a weed. Although both of them grew attached to Rumina and Lucos, they still clearly saw Jack as their father and wouldn't go far without him.

Part of him wondered if it would be best for the children to be adopted by someone in the village. Oya had hinted at it. While his head said it would be a good thing, his heart rebelled at the thought of losing the two young children.

Right now, however, he couldn't make any decision or even spend a lot of time worrying about what he was going to do. He and the men of the village were plotting to rid their world of the Jaffa.

What was worrisome were the five Jaffa who were visiting outlying farms. No one knew when, or if, they'd show up at the village. They could continue to spend time at different farms, they could go to the mining camp, or one or more could show up on their doorstep.

This caused them to worry about splitting their small force. They needed to leave enough people to protect the village while having enough men to vanquish the Jaffa at the mining camp. They had very quickly learned to turn to Jack as their leader in this venture.

"Do you know if they communicated with their ship?" Jack asked. If they had lost touch with Aker the Jaffa would be extra cautious and suspicious.

"I do not believe so," Solon told him. "There only contact was when supply ships would come."

"How often?"

"Usually every six weeks. It has been five since the last one."

"Damn! So we don't have much time. Tell me everything again about the mining camp. And do you think there is anyone there we have to worry about, other than the Jaffa?"

Jack knew it was common for Jaffa to work with a few humans willing to sell out their own kind for riches or other tangible benefits. He would be surprised if there weren't some among the miners who worked for the Jaffa. These would be as dangerous, if not more so, that the Jaffa themselves.

Finally all was ready. A small force of six men would go to the mining camp and capture the four Jaffa who were there. Jack hoped they could do it with the least amount of noise and commotion as possible.

It had been easier than they thought. They arrived at night, and discovered two of the Jaffa in the house that had been built for them. Although they didn't sleep, the two were deeply involved in playing Tal'chok – a game eerily similar to chess. Neither of them heard the intruders and a moment later both were dead.

"That one killed a number of my people," Solon said quietly. Jack had wondered whether or not they should try and capture, not kill, the Jaffa but in the end the locals had made that decision.

"Two more," Jack whispered. The others nodded and silently made their way into the dark night. The other two Jaffa seemed to be patrolling the camp. Jack could just make out the rough huts of the miners and had seen their shadows pass by. There were no lights on in any of the building and he wondered if that was because the workers were exhausted and went to bed early, or there wasn't enough fuel to keep the rooms lit.

He knew, from the elders, that many of the miners had families just like the other villagers. The living conditions were poorer, however, and so there was some resentment between the two villages. Jack hoped that wouldn't cause problems, although he'd seen enough of the world to know that jealousy and greed could cause a whole host of bad things.

He heard a soft grunt and then a moment later Timu and Belen appeared around a corner. They looked quickly at Jack and gave a nod. One more Jaffa dealt with.

They had divided their small force into three groups of two men each. Jack was paired with Solon and they continued to creep stealthily through the sleeping village.

Without warning, just as they were coming to the end of a building, the forth Jaffa appeared from around the corner. Jack wasn't sure who was the most surprised. Unfortunately, the Jaffa's surprise meant he lifted his staff weapon and fired almost instantly.

Jack felt the burn along his hip and the next moment was falling, face first, into the dirt. He heard other noises after that, but the intense pain of the staff weapon wound kept him from paying attention.

A moment later and someone flipped him over onto his back. He groaned, and flung up his arm, sure that the Jaffa was about to kill him. Instead he felt, rather than saw, someone kneel down beside him.

"Are you hurt Jack O'Neill?"

"Timu?"

"Yes, it is I. Belen and Solon have gone after the Jaffa. Are you hurt?" he repeated.

"Uh – yeah," Jack gasped and wanted to roll in pain but knew that would not be good. His hip was on fire.

"My – side," he gasped. God he hoped it was more painful than serious. "Staff – weapon."

Timu nodded. "I will find some water. Stay here."

As if there was anywhere else for him to go! Guarding his hip as much as possible, Jack curled in on himself and waited for help.


	9. Preparation

Belen and Solon returned a few minutes later and Jack rolled over onto his back to find out what had happened. One look at the faces of the two men had him swearing softly.

"Any idea where he went?" he asked. "Could he still be in the camp?"

"No. We saw him head out to the edge of the town, but then we lost him. We believe he has gone -"

"To find the other Jaffa," Jack finished. This had been his biggest worry and he cursed himself for his slow reflexes. He should have taken care of that Jaffa.

He knew they had to do something, and quick, but he was finding it hard to concentrate. He closed his eyes and tried to slow his breathing down. The damn staff weapon injuries hurt like the devil.

"Okay," he said when he'd managed to deal with the pain – or at least convince himself that he had. "We've got to find that Jaffa before he has a chance to warn the others. We're also going to have to let the townspeople know so they can get prepared. Both towns."

"Solon and I can try and find his trail and follow him," Belen answered. "The sun should be coming up soon. Timu can stay and help you and inform the people here what had happened. Kios can run to our village and warn them."

Just then Timu appeared with a jug of water, followed closely by his companion Kios. He knelt next to Jack. "I have water which I am going to pour on you. It may feel cold."

"Yes please," Jack gasped. He could hardly wait to feel the cold and prayed it would quench the fire on his hip.

A second later and he gasped as the cool water hit his wound. It did give a brief bit of comfort, but that soon passed as the agony continued.

"Is it bad?," Kios asked.

"Bad enough," Solon replied. "The burns from the Jaffa weapons can cause a lot of damage. The good news is that it obviously pains him."

"That's _good_ news," Jack gasped.

"Indeed yes, my friend. If you didn't feel anything, that would be bad. That means that the burn is so deep there is no hope. With this, although painful, it is likely you will heal."

Jack can't say as he was thrilled with the "likely". He wanted to be sure to live.

After a few seconds, when he realized that Timu was finished, he opened his eyes and peered at the worried looking man.

"Okay," Jack nodded. "Help me up Timu."

"You should lie still O'Neill," Timu told him. "You will do more damage."

"Maybe, but I can't stay here. Come on, give me a hand." He held his hand up, but Timu continued to stare at him.

Finally, with a sigh, Timu nodded to Belen and both of them together reached down and helped him to his feet. Fortunately they kept their arms around him, as the pain spiked and he would have fallen down without their support. He bit his lip, trying to keep from crying out. Damn it! His hip was in agony. He didn't know if he'd be able to make it.

Without warning he began to feel incredibly nauseated. He managed to pull away from Belen and list to the side, Timu's arm still around him. Suddenly his stomach heaved and he vomited everything he'd ever eaten.

Of course that made the pain even worse, and he was practically sobbing by the time he was done. Fortunately, for his dignity, he managed to keep the pathetic whimpering to himself.

"O'Neill, you must lie down," Solon told him. "Let us find someone who can help him," he said to the others

"Mentes and his wife – they are kind and will help," Timu said.

By this time Jack had lost track of the conversation or what was going on. A few moments later, after he'd finished throwing up, he was half carried/half dragged to somewhere new. He heard murmuring, an exclamation of some kind and the next thing he knew he was being gently laid out on a bed. That was the last thing he remembered.

He woke up to a burning pain in his hip, although it didn't feel quite as bad as he thought it should. He felt groggy and had no idea where he was, except that it wasn't the Infirmary.

His head flopped to the side and he slowly opened eyes that seemed to want to stay shut. When they were finally open he had to blink a couple of times to take away the haze that covered them. It was then that he could see he was in a small, one-room cottage.

"You are awake?" a woman's voice startled him and he had to turn his head to the side to see a middle-aged woman sitting in a chair beside the bed. "How are you feeling?" she asked gently.

"Uh - " he tried to lick his lips, but his mouth and tongue were so dry he almost gagged. That made him realize his mouth felt like a sewer, which then made him want to throw up. Before that uncomfortable event happened, a cup magically appeared in front of him. He leaned his head forward and took a drink, then another and soon he'd had the whole thing.

"Is that better?" the woman asked.

"Yes, thank you," he said, surprised at how weak he sounded. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Where am I?"

"You are in the home of my husband Mentes and myself. My name is Aspasia. They brought you here after you were wounded by the Jaffa."

"Oh, right." He closed his eyes briefly, recalling all that had happened. "Thank you," he said, "for taking me in."

"Anyone who comes to release us from the tyranny of the Goa'uld is welcome in our home," she said fiercely. "Solon told us that you have killed Aker."

"Yes – at least my team and I killed him. It wasn't just me."

"We thank you. Now, tell me how you are feeling?"

"Uh, not too bad," he lied. "The sleep helped."

"Do not tell me foolishness," she told him sternly. "I need to know the truth." He wondered if this woman was a long lost relative of Janet Fraiser.

"Okay then – it hurts like hell," he snapped. How do you like _them_ apples he thought?

She nodded. "I expect as much. Staff weapon wounds are painful and can be dangerous if not treated properly. I will give you something for the pain and we must watch carefully that the wound does not grow infected. You want to be able to return to those children of yours.

God – the children! For a moment he had forgotten everything, including Beth and James. Hell, he couldn't die and leave them, although he was sure that Rumina and Lucos would look after them if anything happened to him. But he damn well was going to make sure that he stayed alive so he could go back to them.

"I don't need anything -"

She presented a spoon filled with some kind of liquid. "Take it," she said. "You need to rest if you are to heal and you cannot rest when you are in pain. Take it or I will have Mentes hold you down and I will stick a tube up your nose!"

This woman meant business! He decided that he'd take the damn medicine and save himself a fight – which he was sure he would win. The truth was, however, that the pain was bad and there was no way he would sleep with it burning so terribly.

He swallowed the foul tasting medicine – he had to ask someone – Daniel probably – why medicine always tasted bad. He asked for water and drank another cupful. Before too long he began to get sleepy and he could feel the pain start to fade. Whatever was in that stuff certainly worked. The world around him began to get very, very hazy and it was becoming harder and harder to …

"He is asleep," Aspasia told Timu. "The pain was bad, but the foolish man tried to pretend he was fine. I gave him some of the medicine from the Papola plant and he is sleeping."

"He will live?" Timu asked seriously.

"Yes, unless his wound becomes infected, but I have been bathing it carefully and so far it looks fine. How is the hunt going for the Jaffa?"

"I have not heard back from either Solon or Belen. I hope they find him, or else we may see the others here with their weapons. I am afraid of what will happen to us if the Jaffa all return."

"The men are fortifying the town," she told him. "We are prepared for an attack and this time we will win," she said proudly. "In the past there was little we could do because we knew Lord Aker would send more troops or could destroy us from his ship. Now that he is defeated, we are able fight the Jaffa who would keep us enslaved."

"Good," Timu smiled. "I will help in whatever way I can. I worry about our village however. It is less easily defensible and there are fewer men who can fight. I will return in a little while," he told her. "I want to do what I can to help here. Please look after him for me."

Jack woke up, still in pain, but feeling a tiny bit less weak. This time a man was in the room along with the woman. He frowned trying to remember their names.

"You are awake?" the man approached the bed and spoke. "How are you feeling?"

"Uh – okay," he said. "I'm sorry, I can't remember your name."

"I am Mentes, and this is my wife -"

"Aspasia," Jack recalled. "Thank you for taking me in."

"You are welcome. As my wife no doubt told you, we welcome anyone who will defend us from the Goa'uld and Jaffa."

That made Jack blink and work to clear his head. There was something he needed to worry about but it was taking too long for him to remember.

"Oh god, the Jaffa!" he said. "What's happened? Did they find the fourth one?"

"Unfortunately not," Mentes told him. "The men are fortifying the village and preparing for an attack. Unfortunately we have few weapons like theirs, other than the ones brought by your people."

Jack suddenly thought of the weapons he had hidden in the other village. He'd given some to the men who'd accompanied him here, but there were more. He also wondered about his village. It was much more in the open and vulnerable to attack.

He pushed aside his covers. "I have to go," he said, trying to put his legs over the side.

"You cannot," Mentes put his hand on his shoulder. "You have been injured."

"Doesn't matter," Jack shook his head and continued to try and sit up. "I have to get back to my village. My children are there. I also have more weapons. I need to help them prepare."

"You cannot," Aspasia came and stood by her husband. "You are not well enough Jack O'Neill. You must rest."

"I _can't_ ," he said sharply. "Look, I know you want to help me, and I appreciate it but I have to make sure my children and the other villagers are okay. I have to go."

By this time he'd managed to get his feet over the side of the bed. His hip throbbed in an angry chorus, but he had no choice. If anything happened to Beth and James he'd – well, he didn't even want to think about that.

"I need clothes," he said, only then seeming to recognize that he was naked. There were bandages over his hip, but other than that he was wearing nothing from the waist down.

Mentes gave one look to his wife and then nodded. "Bring him a pair of my pants," he said. "I will help him."

"He is foolish," Aspasia argued. "He will kill himself."

"He must go Aspasia," her husband told her gently. "He is a father and he must protect his family."

Aspasia "harumphed" as she went to the chest in the corner of the room and pulled out a rough pair of pants. She brought them over, but refused to hand them to Jack, instead insisting on helping him dress.

"Don't you be silly," she told Jack. "I've been married for years and am the mother of many sons. You don't have anything I haven't seen many times."

Jack looked up to see Mentes grinning, and even through the pain couldn't help but smile. She must be related to Janet.

After he was dressed, which had caused him some rough moments, he asked Mentes to help him stand. Once on his feet – after he'd given his stomach a severe talking to – he took a breath. "Now, can you direct me on the right way?"

"I will take you," Mentes told him. "I can also help protect your village."

Jack frowned. "But don't you want to stay here and look after your wife?"

"She is going to stay with our son, Philios. She will be safe there."

"Okay," Jack nodded in appreciation. The truth was, he probably couldn't have made it without help anyway.

Mentes practically had to carry him out of the small house and Jack felt incredibly dizzy and light headed. Just as he was about to wonder whether he actually could make it, a small wagon appeared driven by Timu. Mentes helped him get into the back and lie down.

"Rest," Mentes told him. "We will get to the village as quickly as possible."

Jack nodded, but tried to look and see what was pulling the wagon. He blinked a couple of times before seeing some kind of peculiar looking horse. In many ways it reminded him of a cross between a camel and a horse. Maybe a hamel? Or a corse? He realized that he was starting to lose it.

He blinked ever more slowly as sleep began to overcome him. He didn't see Mentes get up beside Timu or see him whip up the ugly horse. Jack was out like a light.

As the cart pulled out of the mining town there was frantic activity all around. Barriers were being placed around the town, and the women and children were being put in the strongest buildings in the middle. A few of the men noticed Mentes leaving, but nodded when he told them what he was doing.

The trip to the other village took longer than they would have liked, but at least they had an animal to pull them. It was one of the few they had and normally only the Jaffa could give them permission to use them.

As they neared the village, Timu jumped out of the cart and ran ahead to make sure they were not walking into a trap. It was obvious that Kios had arrived and had warned the villagers of possible attack by the Jaffa. Just like the mining village they were barricading everything and laying out their crude and simple weapons.

"Take me over there," he indicated Lucos' house. He prayed that the children were safe.

As soon as they arrived at the house he went to jump out of the cart, totally forgetting that jumping should not be in his repertoire right now. After taking a few seconds to let the agony die down and the world to right itself again, he pushed his way to his feet.

It was Kios who knocked on the door. A moment later it opened, and Rumina stood there, looking frightened.

"Jack O'Neill," she cried and rushed forward and enveloped him in a hug. "Tell me it is not true. The Jaffa are not going to attack us, are they?"

Jack hugged her tightly, more to keep himself from doing a face plant than any desire to fondle Lucos' wife. "They might Rumina. We have to get ready. The children?"

"They are fine – they are sleeping. But you are hurt," she intoned as she leaned back and looked at him. "You must come and let me look after you."

"No time I'm afraid," he told the young woman. "I need to get my weapons. Can you tell me where my cart is?"

She frowned, but nodded, leading the way to the shed that held the cart.

He was thankful that they'd kept the cart in a safe place. With the help of Mentes he was able to retrieve the weapons he had hidden under it and give them to him and Kios. He wasn't well enough to fight, not right now. But at least he could help with suggestions and weapons. It wasn't enough – not nearly enough – but it was certainly better than nothing.

He made his way slowly back to Rumina's, Mentes and Kios on either side of him helping keep him upright. When he got to the house it was to see her waiting for him, an anxious frown on her face.

"I wouldn't mind lying down," he said to her breathlessly.

She shook her head in frustration but directed the men to take him inside to his room. He'd only taken a few steps when there was a scramble and a little body threw itself against him.

"Papa!" Beth cried, her little arms holding him tightly. A moment later he heard "Da", and looked up to see James peeking at him through the bars of his crib, a big smile on his face.

"Daddy's home," he said to the two little ones. Now he had to make sure they stayed safe!


	10. Never Give Up

Jack wanted nothing so much as to sleep, preferably with a good dose of painkillers. Rumina had run to her mother's, telling her that Jack was hurt. The older woman came immediately, carrying a basket of supplies and medicine. She told him it would help the pain, which he hoped was true.

There was nothing quite so painful as a staff burn, he reflected, although he hoped it was more painful than serious. He knew that burns could easily become infected and the last thing he wanted was to get sick and perhaps die. Now he was living, not just for himself, but for the children.

Oh, he knew that they would be well cared for, if something happened to him, but he still felt it was vital that he say alive for their sakes. He now had a bond with the two young children. They were his and it was his duty to protect them.

And that duty started right now, even if he was wounded.

"Lie down and remove your pants," Oya told him bluntly. When he opened his mouth to argue, she simply looked at him sharply. "You will be no good to anyone if you collapse. Now let me look at your wounds and then you can prepare for battle. You don't need to fret. The men of the village are looking after things. _Lie down_!"

So he did as she said and removed his pants and then lay down (he refused to say collapsed) on the bed. Oya came over and tut tutted when she saw the raw wound on his hip.

"This must be painful," she sympathized. "I will fix you a draught to take and I have some salve which should help. What you need is to rest and to heal, but I am sure you will not listen to me."

The salve felt cool and brought a measure of relief almost instantly. It didn't take away the pain completely, but it did cool down the burning feeling. Oya next placed a clean strip of what looked like gauze over the wound and proceeded to bind him with a long piece of cloth. He wondered how he was going to get his pants back on.

When she was finished she helped him sit up and gave him a mug filled with some kind of liquid. "Drink up. It will help the pain."

"Will it make me sleepy?" he asked, looking down at the liquid suspiciously.

"No, you will still be able to fight," she said, sounding disgusted. "Now drink it!"

He did and of course it tasted horrible. He managed to get it all down, and then sat for a few minutes trying to convince himself that the pain was going away. After a few minutes he was able to struggle back into the loose pants the locals wore.

All the while he was sitting the children were babbling away at him. Rumina had placed James on the bed beside him while she nursed her own baby and he was wiggling and grabbing his own toes. Beth was on the floor beside the bed, playing and keeping an eye on him. She was clearly still dealing with the sudden disappearance of her parents, and she wasn't going to let him out of her sight.

"They missed you," Oya said as she watched him and the two children. "You are a good father."

"Well, I don't know about that," he answered suddenly thinking about Charlie. "Someone had to help them and I was the only one there."

"It is more than that," Oya told him. "You love them as if they were your own."

"It's hard not to," he said, sounding self-conscious. "They're precious little beings."

"They are," she nodded. "But it is more than that. They belong to you Jack O'Neill. They know that, as do you."

He wasn't about to argue with her, as, in his heart, he felt the same. But he also knew that they needed a family – not a man who spent his life hopping around the stars, getting himself into constant trouble.

But then his mind reminded him that he was most likely stuck here for the rest of his life. The thought was terrifying, but there was consolation in the fact of at least having the two little ones to love. It wouldn't be all bad staying here.

He realized that his hip was feeling better. It still hurt, but now he was pretty sure he could function. Before he'd felt so bad he'd had a hard time staying conscious.

"I've got to go," he finally said, as he stood up. He waivered a bit, but then everything settled down around him. He suddenly felt two little arms around his legs, and looked down to see Beth holding on fiercely.

"No go Da!" she cried.

He carefully leaned over and picked her up. "Hey you – I'm just going outside to talk to your Pappous and a couple of the men. I'll be back to play with you and James."

"No go!" she said loudly.

So he carefully sat on the bed and pulled her onto his lap. Rumina came over and picked up James to nurse him and he quickly fell asleep.

He spoke softly to Beth, reassuring her all would be fine. He then began to tell her stories – stories that he had once told Charlie. Soon her eyes drooped and then she was sound asleep.

He looked up a Oya with a crooked grin and she gave him a smile in return. "Rumina and I will watch over them carefully," she told him softly.

He nodded and let her help pick up Beth and place her on the small cot beside the crib which held James and Rumina's infant. With that he struggled to his feet and hobbled to the front door.

"I'll be back," he said, making a promise to both the women and children, and to himself.

He found Kios and Timu organizing the villagers. They were setting up barricades and gathering anything they could find as weapons.

"How's it going?" Jack asked as he limped over. He regarded everything carefully, recognizing that his expertise was going to be needed.

"We do not know if this will hold them for long," Timu replied. "Not with their weapons."

"Well, it's a good start, but there are a few other things you can do," Jack told the men. "We need to set up some booby traps."

"Booby traps?" Timu asked, looking puzzled. "What are these?"

Jack grinned, although he was worried. "We set traps they aren't suspecting," he explained. "Here, let me explain."

For the next half hour he went over instructions with a handful of the men. Although they were fearful, they seemed to respect his judgement and looked to him for leadership. While the burden was heavy, he appreciated not having to argue or fight the local citizens in getting things done.

Recognizing that one of the issues they faced was attempting to defend two villages, he pondered about what they should do. At one point he had thought about having all the people here leave and move to the mining village, but in the end decided that was too dangerous. They would be terribly vulnerable travelling, especially with young children and old people with them.

Instead, he sent Mentes and one other man by the name of Arayo back to the mining village, with instructions to organize the people there in the same way. He also gave them two of the weapons he'd confiscated off the Jaffa he'd killed. As that village was bigger, and there were the miners, a strong group of men, he felt that they were in less danger. At least that's what he hoped.

Here at the farming village they set up a number of traps on the routes most likely to be travelled outside the village. He also had lookouts posted to both watch for the Jaffa as well as to warn any humans who might approach from the mining camp. He didn't want their own people being hurt.

He divided up the rest of his weapons, small a number as that was, and gave them to the men most likely to be able to use them. Two of the men, Stavos and Lukos, were given the responsibility for watching out for the women and children, who were all placed in the most defensible buildings. A couple of the younger women were recruited and also given the jobs of watching for the enemy.

It took two days to finish all their preparations and so far there had been no sign of the Jaffa. Now, it was a waiting game.

It was a tense time for everyone. Jack knew that the waiting was often the most difficult part of battle – that and the aftermath. During the fighting people were driven by adrenaline, but now, every sound caused people to jump and look around in fear.

Even the children felt it, and both James and Beth, along with Rumina's baby Mara, were fussy and woke up many times during the night.

Jack felt terrible that he couldn't spend more time with them, but he was needed to keep everyone's morale up, and to help watch for the enemy.

And his wound didn't help matters either. Fortunately, the salve that Oya continued to apply seemed to keep infection away. But it wasn't healing as fast as it should and the pain was wearing on him. Oya scolded him, telling him it would only get better if he rested. He knew that was true, but that for now there was nothing he could do. Their lives depended on him being alert.

The Jaffa came on the seventh day and it looked like all six of them had decided to attack at once. They hadn't heard anything from the mining village and Jack hoped that they were all okay. He figured the Jaffa would strike here first, as it was an easier target, with fewer people.

They knew the Jaffa approached when one of them screamed. He had obviously found one of the booby traps. Jack grimaced slightly. He hated guerilla warfare, but in this case it was all they could do. They just didn't have the weapons or the knowledge to fight a head-on battle.

They had set up a series of camouflaged pits around the perimeter, along with trigger wires and hidden traps. Most of them weren't lethal, although a few of them could cause serious damage and all were meant to incapacitate the enemy.

A few minutes after the scream was heard, the battle started.

Staff weapon fire streaked across the village, hitting buildings and causing some of the barriers they erected to explode in fire. They had made sure to keep a wide perimeter around the buildings, as fire was one of the most dangerous things they faced.

The battle raged for almost an hour. There had been no fatalities among the villagers, although two men had been injured – one by a staff blast, the other by a falling piece of wood from one of the barriers that exploded when hit by a blast from the Jaffa.

Jack had counted attacks from five people – and assumed that the first scream had meant one had been taken out. He had been able to hit, and he was pretty sure, kill one of the Jaffa. That left four still in action.

There was a slight lull in the battle and he watched carefully. All it needed was one Jaffa to break through the barricades and they'd be in trouble.

Sure enough, he saw a shadow moving off to his left. He signaled to Timu and slowly made his way in that direction. This was the worst part of battle – the quiet stealth, the not knowing when someone was going to pop up in front or behind you and attempt to kill you.

He inched along, trying to stay in the shadows of the building behind him. Suddenly he saw a flash of light – the reflection of the sun on the end of the staff weapon – and he fired with his gun. Three shots later, he heard a groan and then the crash as a body fell. He once more moved forward, cautiously, slowly – to see a Jaffa lying face down, a puddle of blood surrounding him.

Jack grimaced, but made his way carefully forward. They needed all the weapons they could get. He carefully retrieved the Jaffa's staff weapon and zat and slinked back into the shadows.

That left three – a number they should be able to handle. There was another shout, and he looked up quickly to see a Jaffa aiming his weapon at Egan, a young man barely out of childhood. He had insisted on fighting although Jack hated to see someone so young having to deal with death. But he was fighting for his family and his people, so Jack had said yes.

"No way," he cried now. The Jaffa were _not_ going to end Egan's life so soon. He whipped up the staff weapon he was now carrying and shot at the Jaffa, hitting him low on the side.

"Damn!" he threw himself to ground, grunting as he landed on his wounded hip. The Jaffa had turned immediately and was now focused on Jack. Fortunately, this gave time for Egan to move out of danger.

The Jaffa approached – carefully – and Jack couldn't get out a clear shot. He knew he was in a bad spot. He was vulnerable, lying down as he was. His hip burned horribly – he'd probably opened the barely healing wound – but he couldn't think about that now. He had to fight for his life.

The Jaffa grew closer but Jack could only see a small portion of his leg and didn't have a clear enough shot to do any damage. He looked around quickly, trying to find a place to hide. He was completely in the open and the Jaffa would soon be able to pick him off.

Finally he decided to simply move, praying that he could get to safety in time. He gathered every bit of strength and adrenaline, and pushed himself up and over towards a pile of rocks that had been created as a defense.

He felt the heat of the staff weapon as it scorched the earth beside him. He attempted to crawl the last few feet, but then rolled as fast as he could as another bolt hit millimeters beside him.

"Crap," he muttered, making one last attempt to push himself into a better position. He heard the staff charge – and then the sound as it discharged. He waited for the pain – but nothing happened. A second later there was a loud 'grunt' and then something heavy fell. He managed to take a look behind him, to see the Jaffa lying flat on the ground – half his skull missing.

Just after that he saw Kios' head pop up and look down at the Jaffa. Jack gave the young man a quick salute, which was acknowledged with a nod. For someone not used to fighting, Kios had managed to save his life.

Two more Jaffa to go.

Suddenly Jack heard a shout and the weapon's fire ceased. There was a moment of utter silence, until it was broken by a deep voice.

"In the name of our Lord Aker, we surrender," the voice cried.

Jack stayed perfectly still, not trusting the Jaffa as far as he could throw them. However, after another few moments – and a second shout from the Jaffa – he carefully pushed himself up and looked out into the street.

The remaining two Jaffa were standing in the middle of the village, their arms in the air. One of them looked as if he had been injured, as blood dripped from his arm down to the ground.

"Do not move, or I will shoot," he called to them. He slowly limped towards the two men, carefully keeping his eyes on them to make sure this wasn't a trick.

"Shoot them if they so much as blink," he called to Kios.

"I will Jack O'Neill," the young man answered.

"Keep your hands in the air," he told the two servants of Aker as he approached. "Any movement and you're dead."

"We have surrendered," the one who wasn't hurt replied. "We give you our word that we will not attempt to harm you."

"Yeah, okay – although I'm still keepin' my weapon on you. Now – keep your arms up and get down on your knees."

The two Jaffa complied, although they clearly didn't like it. The one who was injured spoke.

"My Lord Aker will execute you when he returns."

"Yeah, about that," Jack said as he walked behind the two and quickly checked for hidden weapons. He could see their zats and staff weapons on the ground a little ways away. "I'm afraid your – Lord – is dead. His ship blew up a few weeks back, along with everyone on it."

The Jaffa looked startled and glanced at one another.

"That is why we have not heard from them," the one who was unhurt spoke.

"I do not believe it," the wounded Jaffa cried. "He is a God. He cannot die."

"Sorry but yeah – he can," Jack informed him. "In fact, we've killed lots of the Goa'uld. Let me see." He stood for a second, remembering the various Goa'uld they'd gotten rid of. "There's Ra – he was the first. Then there was Apophis, Nirti, Kronos, Seth, Osiris, Hathor – I was especially glad to get rid of her – Tanith, Sokar, Imhotep, Bynar, Moloc, Aries, Amaterasu, Heru'ur, Mott. That's all I can remember, although I'm sure there are more. So you see – the Goa'uld are _not_ Gods, and yes they can be killed." He grinned at the two Jaffa, quite proud of the fact that he'd remembered all the Goa'uld names. In fact he'd spent one whole day at his cabin memorizing them – sure that one day he'd be able to show off.

He grew sober suddenly – remembering that it was Daniel to whom he'd wanted to show off. He'd probably never get that chance now.

He watched as the two Jaffa looked at one another in confusion. "I – had heard that many of these were no longer engaged in battle," the healthy one said, "but I did not know they were – dead. Is it possible?"

"Yes, it's possible," Jack replied. "They're nothing but parasites who take over human hosts. They're as mortal as you or me – they just like to play at being Gods. Kios, Timu," he abruptly called to the two men who had left their cover and were now standing, watching him. "Collect their weapons and store them safely. I think that should be all of them, but we want to be careful."

"Thank you Jack O'Neill," Timu said to him. "Because of you we are free."

"No, because of your own courage and fighting ability. I'm glad to be able to have helped, but it was you and the villagers who should be proud. Now, what are we going to do with these two."

"I do not feel right about killing them," Kios answered.

"No – neither do I." It was one thing to kill in battle, another to execute someone after the fact. "Is there a place to lock them up? We can let the elders decide."

"My name is An'drak," the Jaffa who was not hurt, said. "If what you say is true – and I believe it is, I will pledge my allegiance to the people of this world. I will no longer serve the Goa'uld."

"And what about him," Jack gestured to the wounded Jaffa. "He doesn't believe me."

"I will speak with him," An'drak said. "He is a man of honor. Tal'tron, will you not pledge yourself to these people? Our – Aker is dead."

"I do not believe it," Tal'tron spat. "He is my God and I will remain faithful to him!"

An'drak sighed. "Will you at least promise not to hurt these people? We are captives on this planet and there are only the two of us left. I choose not to die and I do not want to kill innocent people."

"Innocent? They have betrayed their God!"

"Aker was no God of mine," Timu spat. "He was a tyrant, torturing and enslaving my people. I am glad he is dead!"

"Okay, okay – enough of this." Jack decided to intervene before things got ugly. "Let's take these men and lock them up somewhere until we can be sure they pose no threat. Set someone to watch them carefully. We don't want them escaping. Oh – and see to Tal'tron's wound – although I expect his Junior is already working on healing him."

"His – junior?" Timu looked puzzled.

"Yeah, the baby Go'auld."

A few minutes later and all the people of the village were coming out of the buildings and from behind the barricades. Solon, the chief elder, approached Jack slowly. He looked at the man who had only arrived a few days before, and bowed his head to him.

"Thank you, Jack O'Neill."

"You're welcome Solon. Thank you for listening to me and for welcoming me to your village. It is a good day for all of your people. You are now truly free of the Goa'uld and their servants."

"That we are, and we will never forget what you have done for us. Now, we must clean things up and put everything back to order."

A few of the older men were tasked with seeing to the bodies of the fallen Jaffa. Out of respect, and because he didn't want to offend An'drak, in case the man was sincere, he got the villagers to promise that the dead Jaffa would receive an honorable funeral. If it had been up to him alone he would simply have zatted them out of existence.

"You get inside Jack O'Neill!" Oya's voice could be heard over the din of the villagers as they celebrated their victory over the Jaffa. A couple of the men were already on their way to the mining village to let the people there know it was all over.

"What?" he turned to look at the older woman, who was accompanied by her husband, and stumbled. Suddenly his hip was a raging fire and he staggered again, almost falling to the ground in agony. He patted his hip, to find his pants wet with blood and something else – probably fluid from an infection if he wasn't mistaken.

Damn! This was all he needed.

"Go with Oya and Eryx," Timu told him. "You must rest and get better. We need you Jack O'Neill. You will help us build a strong community, now that we are free."

He nodded to the younger man and then tried to limp off with Oya. Embarrassingly for him, he would have fallen if she and her husband hadn't put his arms around their shoulders and practically carried him to their home.

A few minutes later he was able to collapse on the bed, the excited cries of his children following him into darkness.

* * *

"Nothing? What do you mean? He has to be there!" Sam shouted. "This is the last place he could have flown to safely."

"I know Sam," her father said gently. "But he can't be on this planet. It's not livable. My tests show that the atmosphere is toxic. If he did land here he'd be dead."

"But then where is he?" she cried, defeated. "There are no other planets."

"I know," Jacob said, reaching out to put his arms around her. But Sam shrugged away and looked at Daniel and Teal'c, who both stood, looking despondent. "He's not dead," she told them. "I'd know it if he was."

"Sam – there's nowhere else he could be," Daniel said. "I wasn't willing to believe he was dead – you know that. But we've looked at all the planets and he's not on any of them. I'm afraid – I'm afraid he's gone."

"He is not," she said angrily. "There's something we've missed. He has to be somewhere. Colonel O'Neill is _not_ dead. Let's me think. I know there's something I'm not seeing."

"Sam," Daniel started, but Jacob held up his hand.

"Let her go over everything. It's best if she comes to the realization herself. Teal'c, can you hold the fort? I need to get some sleep."

"Of course, Jacob Carter," Teal'c replied, although he sounded more somber than usual. It was almost impossible to tell with Teal'c, but those who knew him well knew that he was suffering.

"Sam-"

"Daniel!" Sam warned.

"I was just going to say, let me help you."

Sam stared at him for a second, and then gave a single, sharp nod. "Okay, but don't try and get me to believe he's gone. I won't believe it – I _can't_ believe it. There _is_ something we've missed and I'm going to find it."

"I hope you're right Sam," Daniel sighed. "If there is something, then I'll help you."

With that the two friends moved to the back of the Tel'tak and began to go over everything that had happened since they'd left Aker's ship.

Teal'c watched the vastness of space as he sat in the pilot's seat. He felt a deep sense of sorrow and loss for his friend and brother. Although he'd long given up a belief in false gods, he felt a deep sense of loyalty and reverence for O'Neill. The Colonel had given him his freedom – and had shown him a new world and a new life. For that, he'd never stop loving the man. And – like Samantha Carter, he wouldn't believe he was dead until he had absolute proof.

But what could they have missed? They had the final location of the Ha'tak and had located all planets that were within flying distance of a death glider. There were no other planets in the vicinity, so nowhere else that O'Neill could have flown. So why couldn't he accept that his friend was gone.

He continued to look out on the empty and limitless void in front of him, his heart aching, when suddenly something occurred to him.

Teal'c frowned and leaned forward, his eyes searching for something – anything – although he knew it was unlikely that he would find what he was searching for. But the ship had eyes of her own and could look. He adjusted some controls and let the ship begin to look.

"Jacob," he called, waking the Tok'ra up from his short nap.

"What is it Teal'c?" the former General approached the controls and sat in the co-pilot's seat. "Is something wrong?"

"I do not know, Jacob Carter," Teal'c said, watching the controls in front of him.

"What are you looking for?" Jacob noticed that Teal'c was watching the monitors. "Did you see something?"

"I did not and that is the problem."

"What do you mean?" Jacob frowned.

"There is no debris."

"Debris? What do you - oh my god. Why didn't I think of that? Do the monitors show anything?"

"They do not. We may have missed it at the other locations. The ship could have been slightly off the coordinates we were given."

"We'll need to check."

"Shall I chart a course back to our previous location."

"Yes. First let's do a double check here, although I don't think we'll find anything. If there's nothing at the other locations then -"

"- then it means we have looked in the wrong place."

Jacob nodded and then turned slowly to look at where his daughter and Daniel were huddled, discussing options. "I don't know whether to say anything to them or not," he said softly to Teal'c. "I don't want to give them a false sense of hope."

"Even if there is no debris," Teal'c answered, "we will be no closer to knowing where O'Neill could be than we are now."

"I know," Jacob sighed. "Still, we can't give up – not yet."

"I will never give up until I know there is no hope remaining. I do not believe Samantha Carter will either."

"That's what I'm afraid of Teal'c – that's what I'm afraid of."


	11. A Place Like Colorado?

"We're going to have to tell her," Jacob said quietly. "If he _did_ get away from the ship – and we still don't know that he did – we have no idea where he could have gone. We've found nothing and we've been gone for weeks. I'm afraid she's going to have to face the truth."

Daniel frowned, hating the thought of telling Sam they were heading back to Earth. She was resting – finally – but he knew she'd be up soon. She hadn't gotten a decent sleep in weeks and he was worried about her.

"She's going to be angry," he told Jacob.

"I know," her father admitted, "but it's not fair to her, or to anyone, to let this go on any longer. I'm afraid she's going to have to face the truth that he's gone."

There was a pause, until Daniel finally took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "He is, isn't he?"

Jacob didn't say anything for a second, and then looked directly at Daniel. "I think the chances of him getting off the ship in time were small to begin with. Add to that the incredibly tiny chance that he'd find a livable planet in the vicinity – then yes, I think he is."

"Then why did you let us search for so long?" Daniel asked, his words sounding accusatory, but his voice was flat. He was emotionally exhausted after so many weeks of looking for his friend.

"Because I've seen too many miracles in my life to have accepted that immediately." Jacob's lips quirked in a small smile. "And I'm pig-headed, just like my daughter."

"Is everything all right, Jacob, Daniel?" Teal'c approached the pilot and co-pilot seats, where the two men were sitting.

"Yeah Teal'c," Daniel answered slowly. "Jacob thinks it's time we stopped looking."

Teal'c looked at Jacob, one eyebrow raised. "You have given up hope."

"I'm afraid so, Teal'c," Jacob answered softly, his eyes moving towards his daughter, who lay asleep in the corner of the Tel'tak. "There's been no sign of him at all, and we can't cover every inch of space."

Teal'c slowly nodded. "I do not disagree, although it is difficult to accept. A part of me still feels that O'Neill is alive, waiting for us to rescue him."

"Oh God, Teal'c, don't say that," Daniel sucked in a breath. "It's bad enough thinking that he got blown up on the ship, but it's another thing thinking of him trapped somewhere, expecting us to find him. That would be -"

"Terrible," Teal'c nodded.

"What would be terrible?" The three men had become so involved in their conversation they hadn't noticed that Sam had woken up and had approached the control area of the Tel'tak.

Both Daniel and Teal'c immediately glanced towards Jacob. As her father he should be the one to tell her, they both silently agreed. If there was a measure of cowardice in their decision – well, neither of them would ever mention it.

"Uh – we were just commenting that it's terrible we're missing the Stanley Cup playoffs," Daniel told her. "They'll be over by the time we get back."

Sam frowned. "I didn't think you liked sports."

"Are you kidding? Jack got me into watching hockey years ago! It's a great game."

"So you were complaining about not getting back in time for _sports_?" she asked incredulously.

"Uh – yeah?"

Sam shook her head at Teal'c. "You guys must really think I'm an idiot. Now tell me – what is terrible?"

"It's not important Sam," Jacob stepped in. "But there is something I wanted to talk to you about. In fact, the guys wanted to talk to you as well." Jacob did a fine job ignoring, not only Sam's inquisitive look, but the men's glares.

"What is it Dad?" she asked sharply. Her head turned quickly between the three men. "What's going on?"

Jacob sighed and stood up and reached for his daughter. "Sam – we have to face facts -"

"No!" she pulled her hands freed and stepped back. "No. What are you doing? We can't give up. He's _out there_ ," I told you. I've _felt_ him. He's alive and waiting for us."

" _Where_? Where Sam – where is he waiting? You know we don't have time to travel every square inch of space. If he is out there – and I really don't think he is – we have no way of finding him."

"No! I'm not giving up," she told him fiercely. "He would never leave anyone behind, and we're not going to leave _him_ behind. We're going to keep looking."

"Sam -"

"NO!" she told her father sharply – and then turned to her teammates. "And what about the two of you? Are you behind this as well?"

"Samantha – your father is making the right decision," Teal'c answered gravelly. "I know it is difficult. I too grieve for O'Neill. But truly – do you think he would want us to continue searching for him for so long? We must return to Earth."

"Yeah Sam – I hate the thought of giving up as badly as you do. But Teal'c is right. Jack wouldn't want us to do this. And we've been away a long time. General Hammond isn't going to be able to cover for us forever."

Sam closed her eyes, and the men watched as tears squeezed out from under her eyelids and trailed down her cheeks. "He wouldn't give up if it was one of us."

Teal'c and Daniel looked at one another, their faces showing there unease. It was true, and they both knew it. Jack would be the last one to give up on any one of them.

Daniel sighed and reached out and put his hand on Sam's shoulder. "How much longer should we look?" he asked gently.

Slowly her eyes opened, and she gazed at three of the four men closest to her in the world. They all looked at her with compassion – but also with a question in their eyes. They wanted to know what she thought was enough.

She wanted to yell at them, to tell they they'd look forever, if that's what it took. But she stopped herself, because that was unfair. She couldn't ask the others to give up their lives – and she knew Jack wouldn't want that either. But _could_ she set a time limit?

She slowly breathed out, and nodded. Yes, that was fair.

"Another week," she said quietly. "Let's give it one more week and then – and then we can go back and I promise I won't argue."

Jacob nodded slowly. "We can do that Sam," he agreed. "And thank you. I know it's hard, but it is the right decision. And Jack would approve."

She nodded, and then turned back to her little corner. She needed to be alone for a while. She felt a sudden wash of grief, but knew it was only a small taste of what she'd experience once they stopped looking.

"Okay," Jacob sat back down at the controls, a look of determination on his face. "Teal'c, Daniel?" he turned and looked as the other man sat in the co-pilot seat. Daniel stood closely behind the two of them. "So – let's figure out where he could be!"

* * *

Jack jerked awake as a cold – freezing cold – cloth fell right across his eyes. Fortunately he knew enough not to strike out, because when he removed the cloth it was to see the precious face of Beth staring at him.

"Da – hot!" she told him. She then reached for the cloth, which was slipping off his forehead, and began to rub it all over his face. He reached up to help her, before it landed on his chest.

He glanced over to see Oya and Rumina both smiling at him, clearly enjoying his bed bath.

"You were feverish for many days," Oya explained, "and Beth saw us sponging you down to try and bring the fever down. She wanted to help."

"Thank you Beth," he finally managed to tell her. He held out his hand with the cloth, and Rumina reached and took it. "That was sweet of you my darlin'," he told the little girl.

She giggled and leaned forward and gave him a big kiss on his nose. That caused him to laugh, although he realized as he did so that he was incredibly weak and tired. A moment later Rumina approached the bed.

"Come on dear," she said to Beth. "Daddy needs to rest. Why don't you go find a book and you can sit beside him and read to him?"

Beth smiled and jumped off the bed, running to the corner where a small bookshelf held a few books. While she was looking for something appropriate, Jack regarded the two women.

"Uh – how long?"

"Almost a week," Oya told him. "We were worried. The infection was severe."

"Because you would not rest," Rumina scolded him. "But now you must take it easy."

"How are things going?" he asked, yawning. He felt incredibly tired and wanted to go back to sleep. But then suddenly he frowned. "James?"

"Is asleep," Rumina told him. "Just like you should be. Rest. All is well."

"The Jaffa?" he murmured, his eyes well on their way down.

"They are being watched carefully," Oya told him. "The elders decided to wait until you are well before any decision is made. Now go to sleep!"

It didn't take him more than a few seconds to obey her order. He knew he would need rest and good food to get back on his feet. For the first time in weeks – months – he felt safe enough to simply let the world drift by for a while.

Beth shrieked with laughter as she ran from him. He hobbled after her – finally feeling half-way alive – although he still felt somewhat weak. He was also limping, but figured that would get better with exercise.

He laughed himself when he glanced over at James, who was propped up on the bed. He was gurgling with big belly laughs as he watched his sister play. Jack felt a surge of – affection and happiness as he watched the two little children.

"I see the children are playing again," Oya commented as she entered the small house. She looked indulgently at all _three_ of the children – and received a wicked peck on the cheek from Jack. "Oh you," she scolded. "You're worse that the other two!"

"But you love me anyway," he told her with a grin.

"Hah!" she replied, shaking her finger at him. "Now don't you go tiring yourself! I don't want to have to nurse you again!"

"Don't worry," he told her, "I'm being careful. It's just that Beth here," he grabbed the girl and swung her up, much to her delight, "wants to play!"

"P'ay, Da," she told him.

"I'm afraid you've tired me out Beth," he said, flopping down on the bed while still holding her. "We're going to have to do something more sedentary."

She wiggled out of his grasp and slid to the floor. She then ran over to the book shelf and grabbed her favorite. It was a fairy tale book, similar to ones he'd read to Charlie – although the stories were a bit different. Still, they had all the elements a little girl would love; beautiful young heroine, handsome hero, and one or two bad guys. Fortunately the bad guys weren't _too_ bad. Beth didn't need to find out too much too soon about the evil in the world.

"Oh, you want me to read to you, do you?" he asked as she climbed back onto the bed beside him. She nodded and he took the book. But just then there was a short cry.

"James," he said. He struggled to get back up, but Oya gave him a fierce glare and he subsided back down.

"I'll get him," she told him. A few seconds later and a still sleepy looking James was cuddled protectively in one arm. The other was around Beth, who was sitting on his lap, book in hand.

"I need another arm," he complained. Beth just pointed to the book. She had a one track mind!

Over the next few days he healed and grew stronger. He tried not to think about anything but what was going on around him. He spent as much time as he could with the children, which they obviously enjoyed. Other than that, he ate and slept – and ate and slept.

One day a couple of the men came and brought a chair for him to be able to sit in the garden. Glad to get out of the house, he made his way to the chair and sat down. Oya had placed a blanket at his feet and soon Beth and James were seated beside him on the ground, playing with some toys given to them by one of the neighbors.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He was feeling much better. His wound was almost healed and he was getting stronger every day and he knew that he couldn't stay much longer with Oya and Eryx. They had been incredibly generous, but they weren't wealthy people and having extra mouths to feed – especially his – had to be straining their resources.

While still convalescing he had started to think about what he was going to do with his life. Deep inside a part of him had accepted that he was stranded on this planet for the rest of his life, although he was still unwilling to acknowledge it consciously. But he _had_ started to think about creating a life for himself and for the children.

He had wondered whether he should return to the farm where he'd found the them. Two of the men from the village had set out for there as soon as they had defeated the Jaffa, in order to look after the animals and the garden for him.

He thought back to his short few weeks there and remembered that it had looked like a good property. The problem was, it was isolated from the village. It would be hard – impossible really – to look after the children on his own. It would also mean that _they_ would be isolated from any friends. He didn't think he could go back there.

Instead he'd asked to speak to Solon and Chara. They came to Oya's the next day and sat and spoke with him. The first thing he did was ask about finding a place closer to the village in which to live. Their answer had surprised him.

"We will help you find a suitable property and build a house and a barn," Solon had replied. "You may keep the animals and supplies that were Markus' and Triana's. It all belongs to the children anyway. Jack O'Neill – you must know how grateful we are and how glad we are that you are now a part of our community. I know it is difficult for you – this isn't your home. But remember – this was not our home either. We are all from somewhere else and were brought here against our will. But we have made a community of this place and we are determined to thrive."

"Do not think badly of us, Jack," Chara continued. "Although we understand your sadness, we believe your presence here is vital for our survival. As a result of that, many of the people of the town have suggested that you be made an elder – and be given the responsibility for the security of our new home. Everyone feels safer with you here."

"Uh - I'm not – I mean, I'll have to think about it," Jack told them. It wasn't that he couldn't do the job – and he was honored that they had asked, but somehow accepting meant that – well, that he _knew_ he was stranded here forever.

Chara and Solon had gone on to tell him that he would be compensated for his work – which would supplement anything he could produce on his farm. He knew that was going to be important, and told them that he would seriously consider it.

That evening he had gone outside and stared up at the stars. Again he had wondered if he could see Sol from here, although part of him knew that he was much too far away. He chuckled softly, although there was no humor in the sound.

"I guess this is my new home," he said to the stars. "Just make sure you keep them all safe," he murmured, thinking of all his friends back home. "I'll miss you guys," he said, so softly only the night air could hear.

With a deep sigh he returned to the house. The next morning he accepted the offer. He was now officially a resident of the planet. At least he was starting with a family, he thought. It would have been worse to have been alone.

* * *

"See anything?" Daniel came and sat beside Teal'c as Jacob went off to rest. It had been four days since Sam had agreed to one more week and they hadn't stopped looking over every square inch they could.

"I do not," Teal'c answered.

"I'd so hoped we would find _something_ ," Daniel replied. "Even if all we find is wreckage then at least we'll know."

"I too hoped we would find something," Teal'c answered. After promising Sam one more week, the men had spent time trying to determine where the Ha'tak would have gone. They were sure that it had been in the area they first searched but needed to figure out where it would have headed after that.

In the end both Teal'c and Jacob – the two most knowledgeable about the Goa'uld, had agreed that Aker had probably been heading towards a planet where he could pick up more supplies. Looking at the map of the galaxy, they had determined on the shortest route to Madrigal – a planet Jacob told them was a major trading planet.

They were now a week out from the planet and their hopes continued to grow even more dim. The chances of finding Jack seemed impossibly remote, but they had promised Sam a week.

"I just wish -" Daniel suddenly stopped and leaned forward. "Teal'c, what's that?"

Teal'c looked out as well, but didn't reply. Instead he changed course slightly and headed towards the strange object floating silently in space.

"I believe it is a piece of metal," the reformed Jaffa said quietly.

"Metal – as in -?"

"As in the hull of a ship," Teal'c said softly. "A very large ship."

"Could it be – from a Ha'tak?" Daniel asked hopeful.

"Yes, based on the analysis, I believe that is exactly where it is from." Teal'c sounded suddenly excited, his eyes scanning the surrounding area. "There is more," he indicated with his head.

Daniel looked out – and suddenly saw a huge area dotted with pieces of floating metal. "Any idea how long this has been here?" he asked.

"I do not know," Teal'c replied. "Although it appears as if the wreckage is slowly being drawn in one direction."

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Yes. It is impossible to tell by the naked eye, but my instruments show a slight movement of the objects."

"But – if that's the case, there must be some gravitational force pulling on them." Daniel may not have been an astrophysicist like Sam, but he was a smart man and had picked up his fair share of the science of the universe.

"That is correct," Teal'c nodded. He was quickly manipulating the ship's controls, until – suddenly, a picture of a planet appeared on the screen in front of him. "This planet is the only one close enough to our position to have affected the debris."

"Is there any information on it?"

"Not yet. We are not close enough to see if it can sustain life."

"Should we tell Jacob and Sam?" Daniel asked quietly.

"No, not until we find out. I do not want to disappoint them."

"Yeah, you're right. How long will it take us to get there?"

"About 50 minutes. Relax Daniel Jackson. We will know soon."

"Yeah – I don't think I can." He glanced at Teal'c. "You're just as nervous as me."

For a moment Teal'c didn't respond, but then he glanced sideways at Daniel – and finally he nodded.

"Indeed. I am very nervous."

The two men sat quietly, looking ahead into space, waiting to find out if this might be the one. They both knew it was unlikely – but hope was a tough master and refused to die.

Finally they were within range. Daniel could see the planet ahead of him and prayed silently that this one was it.

"There is water on the planet," Teal'c informed him. "And there is an atmosphere."

"Breathable?"

A couple of manipulations of the controls and Teal'c nodded. "It appears to be."

"What about – life. Any life?" He found it hard to stay still as he waited for Teal'c to discover what was on the surface of the planet. Again – he told himself that there was no way – Jack couldn't be here. It would be too implausible.

"There is life," Teal'c said quietly.

"Sentient?"

"I believe so," his friend turned to look at him, obvious excitement in his eyes. "It appears that there are two concentrations of life forms."

"Concentrations? You mean – cities?"

"It would appear to be more like villages. There are not vast numbers."

"Could it – do you suppose they could be Aker's camps?"

"It is possible. One of the villages – if that is what they are – is by the mountains. Aker could have discovered a source of Naquada and have established slave camps – or they could be training camps for Jaffa."

"Oh my God! We have to tell Jacob and Sam!" Daniel sprung up from his chair, but Teal'c grabbed his arm.

"Do not get their hopes up Daniel Jackson," Teal'c told him. "The chance that O'Neill is here is still slender."

"I know Teal'c. But - we have to investigate."

Teal'c nodded and Daniel kept moving.

"Jacob, Sam," he called, trying to keep his excitement from showing.

"What is it Daniel?" Sam pushed herself up from her sleeping bag and yawned.

Jacob sat up, looking slightly more rested, but still was a bit bleary eyed. Weeks of travel in a Tel'tak were wearing on him as well.

"Is something wrong?" the Tok'ra asked.

"We have just come across a planet," Daniel explained. "It looks like there might be a couple of small villages."

"Really?" Jacob sprung up and walked to the front. Sam moved almost as quickly.

"Daniel?" Sam looked at him with both excitement and fear in her eyes. It was as if she knew that this – here and how – was their last chance.

"It's true Sam. We just found it. Look, you know -"

"I know Daniel," she said softly. "Let's just – wait and see, okay?"

"Okay," he smiled at her and together they walked to the front of the Tel'tak.

"We shall be entering the atmosphere in five minutes," Teal'c told them.

"Be careful Teal'c," Jacob warned. "We don't know what's there. They might have ships or other defenses."

Teal'c simply nodded, but continued to head towards the planet. A few minutes later the Tel'tak broke through the clouds.

Below them they could see a green and lush looking planet. There were plains, lakes, mountains and rivers.

"It kind of looks like Colorado," Sam pointed out.

"Yeah, you're right," Daniel nodded. "Now let's hope the natives are friendly."

"Any sign of ships or weapons?" Jacob wanted to know.

Teal'c shook his head. "Nothing. This may be a primitive planet."

"Just watch carefully. The Goa'uld have been known to be tricky."

Teal'c didn't attempt to answer that. He knew the Goa'uld too well and wasn't about to take any chances. "Any preference as to which village we should attempt first?"

"Let's try the bigger one," Jacob suggested. "Who's going to go?"

"I'll go," Sam said quickly.

"And I'll go too," Daniel added. "We'll be less suspicious."

Teal'c's eyebrow went up at that. "I do not believe you can be anything _but_ suspicious. It does not appear as if there are more than a few hundred people on this planet. Any stranger will be noticed."

"Come on Daniel!" Sam grabbed her jacket and backpack and within a couple of minutes was standing waiting to be ringed down. Daniel followed in short order.

"Okay – we're ready." Almost immediately both Daniel and Sam were gone.

Teal'c and Jacob remained silent as they waited to hear back.

* * *

Jack was enjoying a tall glass of the local equivalent to lemonade. It was pretty good, although he would have preferred it to be a bit more tart. Still, it was better than water. He wondered idly if they had beer here? If not, he'd have to figure out a way to make it.

The children were both napping and he started thinking about how they could improve the town. Now that there were no Goa'uld oppressing the people – they could think about expanding and beautifying things.

He hadn't yet decided on where he was going to farm. There was a lot of land available for him to choose. The one thing he did know, was that it was going to have a lake!

He felt a sudden pang as he thought about his cabin in Minnesota and that it would pass out of his family. He had left no family behind. His closest family were, in fact, his team. He started to grow depressed thinking about them and the fact that he'd never see them again, but then he stopped. He could no longer think about ho – about Earth. _This_ was his home now. He'd better get used to it.

Just then he heard a noise – a familiar noise, but one he hadn't expected to hear again. He glanced up, shielding his eyes.

"Damn!" he cried, leaping to his feet. A Tel'tak swiftly flew overhead – too far away to have had a clear look at who was on the ground. This was just what they all needed – another Goa'uld.

He made his way down the street to talk to Solon and the other elders and warn them about their visitor. Sadly, his services were going to be needed again sooner than he had thought.

"You just couldn't let me alone, could you?" he asked the universe. With that he went into the house to let Eryx and Oya know he was headed to speak to the elders.


	12. Bumpy Road

"The town's about a kilometer that way," Sam pointed. "Stay alert. We don't know what we're going to find."

"I have done this before Sam," Daniel reminded her gently.

She gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry. I'm just a bit jumpy. Too much time on the Tel'tak I guess."

"Yeah, it's great to be out in the fresh air. It's nice here."

"It is," she agreed. "Of course the Colonel would warn us to be extra careful because of that. He didn't trust nice planets."

"Or trees," Daniel grinned, although the smile faded quickly. "God, it would be great if he really was here."

"It would be," she nodded, "although I guess we shouldn't get our hopes up."

"No, probably not." Daniel sighed, thinking about his friend. "I don't think the idea of him being gone really hit me until now. I don't – I don't know what I'm going to do without him."

"Me either," she whispered. "Come on – let's get going and see what we can find and then head back to the ship." Suddenly the planet didn't seem so nice after all.

They were approaching the village when they heard a shout. It appears they had been seen. A moment later almost half a dozen men were approaching. Unfortunately at least two of them were carrying Goa'uld weapons.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" one of the men asked.

"We are visitors," Sam answered, her hands held away from her own weapons. "We are here searching for a friend."

"Friend? There are no strangers here, only villagers."

"Our friend would have arrived a few months ago/ A man, tall, gray haired? He was probably dressed like me."

One of the younger men frowned and turned to the first speaker. It looked like he was going to say something, but was quickly told to "shush".

"There has been no one dressed like you," the first man answered. "Where do you come from? Do you serve my Lord Aker?"

Daniel and Sam glanced at one another. This had been their fear – that this was Aker's slave or mining camp. At least they hadn't seen any of his Jaffa, at least not yet.

"Uh no, I'm sorry," Daniel answered. "I'm afraid we don't know Lord Aker. Is he – uh – is he here?"

"He is dead!" the young man interjected. He received a ferocious scowl from the others and hung his head, although Daniel could see the defiance written on his face.

"Your – Lord Aker – is _dead_?" he asked carefully. "Is he – or was he – a System Lord?"

"You know of the System Lords?" they were asked.

"Yes, although we don't serve any of them," Sam clarified. "We come from a free planet, not ruled by anyone. We are simply here to find our friend."

"Come with us," the older man finally answered. "My name is Mentes. This is Belen, Heros, Nipol and my son, Philios," he pointed out each of the men individually.

"Hello, my name is Daniel Jackson and this is Samantha Carter."

"You are welcome to our village – as long as you do not bring any violence with you and you respect our people and our laws."

"Of course," Daniel nodded. "We mean you no harm. We are simply trying to find our friend."

Again there were glances passed between the men, which caused both Sam and Daniel to wonder what was going on.

"I hope there's no Jaffa waiting for us," Daniel whispered as they followed the men to the village.

"They didn't ask for our weapons," Sam pointed out. "Either they're very trusting, or they're not worried."

Daniel nodded. "I prefer the former."

A few minutes later they had entered the village. It was obviously poor, although they could see people milling about the streets. It also appeared as if something had happened recently. There were what looked like barricades set up around the streets.

"What happened here?' Sam asked quietly.

Mentes heard her and stopped and turned. "We were attacked but we fought off the ones who would have killed us. We will not let anyone harm our people."

"Good," Sam told him. "I promise you, we are not here to harm you."

"Who are these people Mentes?" an older woman hurried out of one of the houses and approached the men.

"My wife, Aspasia," Mentes explained. He turned to her. "They are visitors looking for their friend. This is Daniel Jackson and the woman is -" he frowned, trying to remember.

"Samantha Carter," said said, stepping forward and smiling at the woman. "It's nice to meet you."

Aspasia looked startled, but smiled and nodded her head. She then glanced at her husband. "Who is their friend?"

"His name is Jack – Jack O'Neill," Daniel told her.

"He's tall and has gray hair and brown eyes," Sam finished. "Here, let me show you." She reached up to one of the pockets on her flak vest. The villagers instantly tensed, but she carefully and slowly undid the flap and pulled out a picture.

It was a photo of the Colonel and Daniel and had been taken on one of the planets they'd visited. There was no way to tell it was anywhere but Earth, so Sam had been able to keep it. She'd always loved it because they both looked relaxed and happy. She'd often thought how lucky she was to have two – three, including Teal'c – such wonderful men on her team.

Mentes took the picture, looked at it and passed it to Aspasia. She regarded it for a moment, nodded and handed it back to Sam.

"He is a handsome man," Aspasia commented. "As are you, Daniel Jackson."

"Uh – thanks," the archaeologist muttered, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Do you know him?" Sam asked.

"We are a small village," the woman replied. "I am sorry but there are no strangers here. Mentes, you should take him to our sister village. The elders may be able to answer her question."

"The elders?" Daniel asked.

"Yes – each of our villages is governed by elders now that we are no longer ruled by Lo – by Aker."

"Your son mentioned that – Aker is dead. What happened?"

It was Belen, who until that moment had been silent, who answered. "All we know is that his ship was destroyed and he is no more."

"What about his Jaffa?" Sam asked.

That garnered another strange look between the villagers. Sam really wondered what was going on. The villagers knew something but they weren't saying what it was, and it was making her nervous.

"They are gone," Heros said calmly. "They will not bother us any more."

"Gone? What happened?" Daniel was also suspicious. There was something the villagers weren't saying.

"It does not matter," Mentes said firmly. "I will take you to the other village. You may ask your questions there."

"Uh, okay. How long will it take to get there?"

"Not long. We will take the cart and should be there before dark."

While some of the men went off to help Mentes prepare the cart, young Philios, followed them to Aspasia's house. She quickly prepared them each a plate of food and told them to sit down and eat.

"Where do you come from?" she asked as she gave them their plates.

"We are from a planet called Earth," Sam explained. "How did you happen to come to this planet?"

Aspasia dried her hands on her apron and sat down on the chair opposite to Sam. "We lived on a planet ruled by Aker. But one day he came with his Jaffa and gathered us all and brought us here. It is about five years now. I do not know the reason for the move, except that he wanted to build his forces and for that he needed slaves. He also needed nacquada, which is what we mine here."

"Really?" Sam's eyes grew big. Maybe she'd be forgiven for being away for so long if she could let the Air Force know she'd discovered a planet with the vital mineral.

"Yes. The other village, the one you go to visit, provides food and supplies for us. That is especially fortunate now that Aker is dead."

"You don't sound sad that he's gone," Sam pointed out.

"About the Goa'uld? No, I'm not. In fact I rejoiced when – when I heard. The only frightening thing was we would no longer get supplies. We are now on our own."

"And you think you can manage?" Daniel asked gently.

Aspasia shrugged. "We have no choice. It is manage or die – and I can tell you that today, I do not choose to die!"

Sam chuckled. "Good for you!" she said.. "So, we're going to go and visit the elders in this other village?", Sam asked Do you think they'll help us?"

"They will do what they must for the safety of their village. But do not worry – even if they cannot help you, they will not harm you. Ah, here is Mentes." She looked around the kitchen and gathered a few items and wrapped them in a towel. "Here, take this with you. You will get hungry."

"Stop feeding them woman!" her husband said in mock irritation. "Come on Daniel Jackson, Samantha Carter. We must leave."

"Thank you for your hospitality," Sam told Aspasia. "I hope we'll get a chance to see you again before we leave."

"Go in peace my child," Aspasia reached over and gave Sam a kiss on the cheek. "All will be well."

As they climbed into the back of the wagon, and slowly rode away from the village, both Daniel and Sam couldn't help but wonder what the people were hiding.

* * *

Jack kept watching the sky all day, but the Tel'tak didn't reappear. He couldn't help but worry. The last thing they needed was a bunch of Jaffa – or even worse, another System Lord, showing up. They'd managed to deal with the remaining Jaffa on the planet, but if more came they would be hard to defeat.

He tried playing with the children, but was nervous about taking them outside. They could feel his nervousness, and grew fussy as a result. Neither of them wanted to take their afternoon nap and he'd had to sit with them and rock them until finally they'd both nodded off.

The other men of the village were on alert as well. Everyone was jumpy and there was more than one argument. Jack even had to break up a fistfight between two young men. Fortunately they both laughed and shook hands after it was done, but for a while it had been tense.

It was early evening and dinner was finished. The children were asleep for the night. And he sat outside Oya and Eryx house and watched as the sun slowly descended.

He blinked when he saw something moving on the road towards him. He stood slowly, his hand over his eyes to block the glare from the setting sun. It appeared to be a wagon moving slowly towards the village.

"What is it?" Eryx exited his house and stood beside Jack, also regarding the approaching wagon.

"I don't know. It looks like a few people, but I can't tell who they are. Go get the others," he said quietly. "And make sure all the women and children are inside."

Eryx nodded and hurried off to tell the elders and other men that someone was coming to the village.

Jack continued to watch, soon able to see that there were at least three people in the wagon. There were two along the front bench and someone standing in the – no, there were two in the back.

Suddenly his head started beating quickly. There was something about the people – something - familiar. He squinted and tried to see, but the wagon was still a ways off and the sun was behind it.

A moment later a ray of light fell on the head of one of the people in the wagon. It glinted gold and his heart raced even faster. All of the people he had met on the planet were olive skinned with dark hair. There were no fair-haired people here.

His breathing sped up and he started walking to meet the wagon. It couldn't be – he _knew_ it couldn't – but he had to see, had to find out.

He began to walk more quickly until he was almost running. He hadn't even bothered to retrieve a weapon, something he didn't even think about.

A moment later he stopped dead. "Oh god!" he breathed. "Daniel, Sam!" He froze, not sure what to do. He had finally accepted that he would never see his friends again and now – here they were.

He closed his eyes, sure that it was a hallucination. He was sure that he'd open his eyes and see someone from the mining camp – because there was no way that Daniel and Sam could be here.

" _JACK!"_

* * *

Sam and Daniel appreciated that Mentes had offered to drive them to the other village, although it wasn't long before they both wished they were walking rather than riding. It really wasn't any faster and it was a hell of a lot bumpier.

"My butt feels like it's ready to fall off," Daniel complained at one point.

"Mine too," Sam agreed. "Do you think he'd be offended if we asked to walk?"

"Probably," Daniel told her. "Maybe one of us could offer to trade places with his son? That way at least one of us would have a break."

"Do you think it's any better up there? At least here we can stretch out."

"True." The two teammates dozed, as much as they were able to in the bumpy cart, ate some of the food Aspasia had sent, and chatted about not much of anything. Both of them were trying not to think of Jack. It appeared as if he hadn't landed on this planet. Or if he had, he must have been killed since the villagers didn't seem to know anything about him.

"We will arrive shortly," Mentes called back. He had spoken to them a few times during the journey, but for the most part he and his son spoke quietly to each other. It had been a long and tedious trip.

"There's the village," Daniel pointed out as they drew closer. "It looks similar to the other one."

"It is not as big," Mentes informed them. "It is a farming village."

"Sam?"

"What Daniel?"

"Look at that man, the one outside the house."

"Where?" Sam peered over the edge of the wagon. "What about him?"

"He doesn't seem – familiar?"

"Familiar?" She looked carefully and then reached into her pack and pulled out a pair of binoculars. She peered through it for a few seconds.

"Well? What do you see?" Daniel asked impatiently. "Let me see!"

Sam slowly handed over the binoculars but continued to stare. "It's him Daniel," she choked out in a whisper. "Tell me that you see him."

"What?" He looked quickly through the binoculars. "Holy crap! It _is_ him Sam!" he turned to her with a big huge smile, startled to see her crying. "Sam – we've found him!"

"Yes, yes we have."

Daniel turned forward and then leaned over the side of the wagon. He put his hands to his mouth and yelled.

" _JACK!"_


	13. Reunion

_**Thanks to all of you who keep reading and reviewing so faithfully - you're wonderful and I can't tell you how much I appreciate you!**_

Daniel leapt out of the wagon, moving so quickly he almost landed face down in the dirt. Sam followed him, not even noticing that they were still moving. The two of them ran towards the man they had been looking for, for months.

At the moment Jack realized that his friends had come for him, that they were here, he broke into a run. The pain in his still tender hip didn't slow him down in the least.

The three of them came together, seconds later, in a wild abandon of laughter and back slapping and joy. Jack threw his arms around Daniel, who hugged him right back. Then, letting go of the younger man, he turned to Sam, put his arms around her and swung her in a circle.

"Carter," he exclaimed.

"Sir!" she answered, too happy to think of anything else to say.

So caught up were they in the happiness of the moment, none of them saw Mentes putting down his weapon and turning to his son with a shrug.

"I guess they really are Jack's friends," he grinned.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" Jack finally asked, as he stopped twirling Carter and put her down. He went to step back but then, with a grin and a shrug, he draped his arm around her and gave her a quick squeeze.

"Well, we were in the neighborhood …" Daniel told him.

That caused Jack's eyebrows to go up, and Sam to giggle.

"Hey Carter -"

"I know Sir, no giggling!"

"Not what I was going to say," he grinned. He then turned to Daniel. "In the neighborhood?"

His two friends laughed again. "It's only a few thousand light years away Sir. No problem at all."

Yeah – well thanks for dropping by!" He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down after the excitement of seeing his teammates. "How _are_ you guys? And Teal'c?" Jack suddenly frowned. "Is he okay?"

"He's fine, Jack," Daniel told him. "He's -"

"Don't tell me," Jack interrupted, pointing up. "The Tel'tak."

"Yeah – did you see us?"

"Mmm hmm. I was worried that it was more Jaffa or a new System Lord come to try and conquer us."

"Nope," Sam smiled. "Just my father, Teal'c, Daniel and me. God Sir, it's so good to see you!"

"Ditto, Major," Jack hugged her tightly once more and then finally let her go. "But – how _did_ you find me – and why did it take so long? I thought -" he stopped and took another deep breath, suddenly finding himself on the verge of getting emotional. Embarrassed, he cleared his throat and took a few more breaths to calm down.

"Well, you were a lot harder to find then than we expected," Daniel told him.

"I'd apologize, but I can't really be blamed for that," Jack told him.

"We know that Sir," Sam told him seriously. "Unfortunately all we had to go on was intel from the Tok'ra – I know Colonel – not always the most reliable. But in this case it was my father who relayed the information – _and_ he offered to take us to the last coordinates we had for Aker's Ha'tak. From there we calculated any planets that were close enough to fly to with a death glider – we assumed that's how you got off the ship?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Jack frowned. "I had to draw a whole squadron of Jaffa away from the Control room so that Teal'c could plant the explosives. Unfortunately they were harder to get rid of than I'd hoped. By the time I did, I realized I didn't have time to get back to the stargate and so did the only thing I could think of and that was make it to the gliders. How did you know?"

"Well, we didn't – not exactly," she grimaced. "But knowing you – and how ingenious you are, we figured it was a possibility."

"We weren't going to give up on you that easily Jack."

"We don't leave our people behind, Sir," Sam said.

"For that I thank you both – and Teal'c and Jacob too," he said softly. "So, that's how you found me?"

"No, not exactly." Sam glanced at Daniel, who was looking rather uncomfortable. She gave him a small smile, letting him know she'd never tell the Colonel that he, Teal'c and Jacob had been ready to quit. "It was actually Teal'c who realized that there hadn't been any debris where the Ha'tak should have been. It was then we realized we were in the wrong place."

"Don't tell me, Major – you did some swift calculations in that brain of yours and figured out where I would be."

"I'd like to say that's what I did, but unfortunately I had no way of knowing. No, it was my father and Teal'c who decided that Aker would need supplies and might be looking for a planet where he could trade. We headed for the nearest planet like that and again looked at any possible planets on the route and – well, here we are."

"Wow! I'm glad I had you guys looking for me. I expect it was much more difficult than it sounds." He paued for a moment, his lips pursed, but then finally spoke. "I'm afraid I had -" he stopped and took another deep breath. "I'm just glad to see you."

"You had _what_?" Daniel asked. "Given up?"

Jack shrugged. "It's been months. I figured that _you_ had either given up or -"

"Or we died in the explosion," Daniel said gently. He knew if he had been Jack he would have agonized over that.

"No, no – I was sure you got off okay. It's the only thing I _could_ believe!"

"I'm sorry we left you on the ship, Colonel," Sam murmured. "We shouldn't have -"

"Stop right there Carter! Of _course_ you should have. If you had stayed you all would have died and - that's not acceptable. No – we all did the right thing and I'm just glad to see you!"

The three friends stood quietly for a few seconds, simply enjoying being together once more. It was Daniel who finally seemed to realize that they were being observed.

"Uh Jack – who are all the people?"

Jack looked surprised, and then turned around. Standing watching them were not only Mentes and his son, but half the town.

Solon stepped forward. "Greetings friends of Jack O'Neill. You are welcome in our village."

"Thank you." Sam and Daniel both answered.

Daniel then turned towards Mentes. "So. You knew Jack all along?" he said mildly.

The other man grinned. "How could we know if you really were friends of O'Neill?" he asked. "We had to be careful. Your friend helped save our people and we will not let anyone harm him."

"That sounds like him," Sam told the older man. "He's kind of known for saving people," she said. She got a number of smiles from the villagers for that.

"You've made some good friends, Sir," Sam smiled.

"Indeed I have Major." Jack spent the next few minutes introducing the villagers who had come out to see what was going on. After a moment he turned to Sam. "Uh - speaking of friends – shouldn't you get in touch with your father and Teal'c?"

"Oh damn!" she said, immediately reaching for her radio. "I was too excited seeing you I guess."

"Understandable!" Jack smirked.

"Come in Dad," Sam said into her radio. "Teal'c? Are you there?"

"Sam", Jacob's voice came through loudly, sounding extremely worried. "We wondered where the hell you guys were. Is everything okay?"

"Here," Jack said softly, "Let me have it." He took the radio and spoke into it.

"Yeah Jacob, everything's fine," Jack answered. "Carter and Daniel were just doin' a bit of sightseeing. When are you and Teal'c coming to see me?"

There was a brief pause and then Jacob's responded excitedly "Jack? Is that you?"

"O'Neill?" Jack could hear Teal'c's voice in the background.

"Hi guys. Yeah, it's me. I was just sitting here, enjoying the evening, when who do I see riding up but Carter and Jackson. It was – good to see them."

"Jack, I can't tell you how great it is to hear your voice. I really didn't think you'd made it off the Ha'tak."

"I was lucky. Hey Jacob, why don't you land that thing and come and join us. You can meet some of my new friends."

"We'll be there soon." Another pause and then Teal'c's voice came over the radio.

"We are pleased that you are well, O'Neill," Teal'c said, his understated words belied by the rare tone of excitement in his voice. "I look forward to seeing you shortly."

"Ditto Teal'c. It's great to hear your voice. Now come on down!"

Oya stepped forward at that moment and smiled at Sam and Daniel. She then turned to Jack. "Your friends are welcome to join us for supper," she said. "I am sure you have much to talk about with them, but you also need to eat."

"Are you sure Oya?" he asked. "We don't want to inconvenience you."

The older woman swatted his arm. " _Inconvenience!_ Don't be ridiculous. You saved all our lives. A little bit of food won't ever repay that."

Jack looked embarrassed, but then grinned at his friends. They all began to walk back to the village, with Daniel talking to some of the people, asking how Jack had helped them.

Sam stayed with the Colonel, not wanting to leave his side in case he should suddenly disappear and the last few minutes would turn out to have been a dream.

"It's so good to see you Sir," she said again.

"It's good to see you Major. I can't tell you how much it means - ," he stopped, feeling too emotional to continue.

"You're welcome," she smiled at him, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. She cleared her throat, embarrassed at her own show of emotion. "I didn't want to have to break in a new CO," she said, using humor to get through the moment.

He laughed and rolled his eyes. "Yes, that would be tough. I mean, you could have ended up with Ferretti!"

"Bite your tongue Sir," she replied with a laugh. She then grew serious. "Were you okay Colonel? You got off the ship safely?"

"Oh yeah. The ride was a bit bumpy – the death glider got caught in the tail end of the explosion but fortunately it sent me towards the planet rather than out into space. I was lucky!"

"Yes, you were. But you weren't hurt?"

"No – just bruised a bit. The worst part was I had a bit of a walk before I found civilization."

"Really? How long?"

"Mmm – quite a few days. There was water, but not a lot of food. My pants grew pretty baggy!"

"I'm sorry. That must have been awful. But then you found the village?"

At that moment they arrived at Oya and Eryx house. Oya stopped at the door. "We will bring chairs outside," she said. "It is a warm night and the children are sleeping inside."

"They have children?" Sam whispered with a frown. By the look of her, Oya could have been a grandmother.

Jack suddenly realized that in the excitement of his friends' arrival, he'd forgotten Beth and James. He felt a pang of guilt for that – but then realized there was an even more intense emotion underneath now that he knew he was going home. For now he refused to dwell on it. That was for tomorrow.

Soon people were setting up chairs and tables and everyone started to bring food outside. Although the sun was just setting, the villagers used the arrival of Jack's friends to throw an impromptu celebration.

"They seem to be happy," Sam commented.

"They're enjoying their freedom," Jack explained as he watched the young people move into a group. "Probably for the first time in their lives. They were slaves of Aker. He brought them here a few years ago to establish a mining camp. I think his plan was also to try and build a new base of operations."

"That's what we figured," Daniel commented. "Now that he's dead, what are they going to do?"

"Survive," Jack said simply. "We had no way of knowing anyone would find us, and as far as I could discover there is no gate here. The land here is good, and we had animals and gardens and some crops. Even without supplies coming from off world we figured we could make this home." He thought again of the children and the fact that he had planned to build a new life with them and felt a sense of desolation.

"Jack the farmer?" Daniel asked, his words humorous but his tone serious. He suddenly seemed to realize that Jack hadn't expected to be found.

"Yeah," Jack answered soberly. "I think I would have kind of liked it. It was - much simpler."

Everyone was quiet for a few seconds, until one of the villagers came up and slapped Jack on the back. That started the teasing and the laughter and soon Daniel and Sam got pulled into conversations with some of the villagers. Jack stood quietly, simply watching his friends. He still couldn't believe they had arrived and that he was going back to Earth.

A few minutes later he heard the sound of a Tel'tak and watched as it landed just outside the village. He reassured the villagers that it was more of his friends, although a number of the men stayed on the alert.

Jack walked to the edge of the village, watching until he saw two men appear through the trees. He grinned and started walking towards them – this time not running. He'd decided to regain a bit of dignity now that the initial surprise was over.

"Heya Teal'c!" he said as he approached his big friend. The next thing he knew he was grabbed and pulled into a ferocious hug.

"O'Neill!" Teal'c said, more emotion in his voice than Jack had ever heard. "It is good to see you, my brother!"

"You too buddy!" he answered, although it was hard to speak with his lungs in a vice.

Finally Teal'c let him go and he was able to take a deep lungful of air. "Jacob!" he glanced to the older man/Tok'ra, who was grinning at him.

"Hey Jack!" Jacob looked at him for a second and then finally reached over and gave him a quick – and blessedly gentler hug.

The three men all stood back and grinned at one another. "It's good to see you Jack," Jacob finally said. "I didn't think I was ever going to be able to say that!"

"No, me either. According to Sam I have you to thank for figuring out where to find me."

"You're welcome, but it was a joint endeavor. I will say this Jack – you _so_ owe me for spending that many weeks in a Tel'tak with Sam and Daniel. I seriously considered jettisoning them into space on more than one occasion."

"As did I," Teal'c nodded."

"Okay, Daniel I understand – but _Sam_? She's usually the easy one," Jack said. The three men turned and began walking to the village.

"She and Daniel Jackson got on one another's nerves," Teal'c informed him. "They acted as young children. It was a very trying journey." Teal'c seemed to realize that his comments might make O'Neill feel badly so he quickly added, "but it was worth it my friend."

"You still owe me a steak dinner and lots of beer," Jacob informed him.

"Does Sel'mak like beer?" Jack asked. But before the other man, or his symbiote, had a chance to answer Jack grinned. "Okay fine – steak dinner and beer on me – but Sam _is_ your daughter you know"

They arrived at the village, and Jack introduced Jacob and Teal'c to everyone. There was some consternation over Teal'c being a Jaffa , but Jack quickly explained and after a few minutes he was cautiously accepted.

Sg1 – along with Jacob, enjoyed the simple meal and the fact that they were together again. No one could quite believe that they had actually found the Colonel. Sam was sure the odds that he'd survived and then that they had been able to locate him, were astronomical. So astronomical that she wasn't going to try and calculate them, but rather simply accept that it was a miracle.

Things quieted down, and the villagers returned to their homes. The next day would begin early for all of them. Finally it was only Jack and his team and Jacob left. They spoke quietly as the village went to sleep.

Eventually everyone was silent, knowing that tomorrow they would have to deal with heading back to Earth. As yet, no one had spoken of leaving this planet or of the journey home. They could all sense that, as happy as Jack was to be found, he was going to find it difficult to leave the people he'd come to think of as friends.

"They're nice people," Sam said quietly. "They're going to miss you."

"Yeah," Jack sighed. Suddenly he felt a wave of sadness fall over him. Why did this keep happening to him, he wondered. Why couldn't they have found him before he'd accepted that this was his new home?

He didn't know what to say and so was going to suggest it was time they all went to bed, when suddenly there was a sound.

"Da?" Beth was standing in front of him, tears falling on her cheeks. "Da – up!"

He reached over and picked her up. "What is it little one?" he asked gently.

She hiccupped and threw his arms around his neck and held on tightly. Jack thought she must have had a bad dream, and held her and rocked her carefully until her tears subsided and she finally fell back to sleep. It was only then that he looked up – to see the astonished faces of his friends.


	14. Decisions

_**So sorry folks! Writing has become more and more difficult with my incredibly busy job/life. I can't promise that I'll update regularly, but I do promise I will finish this and my other stories. Thanks for continuing to read!**_

"Uh Jack," Daniel scrunched up his nose as he looked at the little girl asleep in Jack's arms. "Is there something you've forgotten to tell us?"

Jack gave a quick nod, but then stood up without answering. He motioned to the house with his head and then quickly left. He wanted to put Beth back to bed before he answered any questions.

The only reason he _hadn't_ told his friends about the children was because he hadn't really wanted to think about what being found would mean. He dreaded the thought of leaving Beth and James behind, but knew he really couldn't expect to take them to Earth and to raise them. He sighed heavily as he gently put Beth down on the small bed that Oya had made for her.

"She must be the granddaughter," Daniel said after a few moments of silence. "Kids love Jack, so they probably see him as some kind of uncle."

"I believe the child referred to O'Neill as "Dad", Teal'c commented.

"She said "Da", Jacob clarified. "That could mean anything here. It could be how they refer to an uncle."

"That is true," Teal'c nodded.

"I wonder who her parents are," Daniel wondered suddenly. "Didn't Oya's daughter leave a while ago with her husband?"

"Maybe the little girl is sleeping over," Carter pointed out.

"I do believe we should wait for O'Neill," Teal'c added. "He will be able to answer all of our questions."

"Yeah," Daniel grinned. "But it's fun to speculate!"

Just that moment Jack reappeared and settled back into his chair. "She's asleep," he told his friends.

"Who is she Sir? Is she Oya's granddaughter?"

"No," O'Neill sighed and rubbed his eyes. "She's – an orphan." He then proceeded to tell his friends the story of how he had come to find the two children.

"Wow Jack, you really know how to get yourself into interesting situations!" Jacob laughed.

"They do sort of gravitate towards me," Jack agreed with a chuckle.

"And you looked after them yourself, Sir?" Carter asked, sounding surprised.

"I have had a child before Major," Jack pointed out. He grimaced slightly when he realized that he had sounded more harsh than he'd meant. Sam was looking embarrassed and he felt like a jerk. "Sorry," he told her.

"That's okay Sir. And anyway _I'm_ the one who's sorry. I didn't mean it the way it sounded. It's just that Beth is so young, and you said that the little boy is even younger. It would be hard for anyone to cope, especially since you said you were pretty weak when you found them."

"Yeah, it was a challenge. I worried that James would starve since his mother was obviously still nursing him, and he was too young for solid food."

"What did you do?" Daniel wanted to know.

"Goats," Jack explained with a grin. "There were nanny goats and I quickly learned to milk them – although one of them almost got the better of me. I named her Doc."

His friends laughed at that and Jack joined them. It was so good to have them here!

"Fortunately James seemed to do okay with that," he went on to tell them, "although when we got here Oya's daughter was able to nurse him."

"And the little girl Beth obviously loves you," Sam smiled.

"She's a sweetheart," Jack said softly. "The poor kids have lost their only family – so they both kind of grew attached to me."

Everyone was silent as the reality of what Jack had said sunk in. It was Daniel – of course – who asked what was on all of their minds.

"So, what are you going to do about them when we return to Earth?"

Jack sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I don't know Daniel. I haven't had time to even think about it."

"What were you _going_ to do – if you'd stayed here?" his friend pushed.

"If I'd stayed here then I would have kept them – looked after them. They don't have anyone here, and neither did I. But it's different now and I – hell, I don't know. I guess I'll ask Rumina and Lukos to take them."

"That's Oya's daughter and son-in-law?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. She's the one that's been nursing James."

"She seems nice," Sam told him.

"What if they don't want to take them, Jack?" Jacob asked, looking closely at the Colonel. "You could bring them back with you."

"And how would I do that Jacob?" Jack asked softly. "You want me to bring Doc on the Tel'tac? It would take weeks to get back to Earth and it would be bad for the kids. No, it's better they stay."

"Well, no point trying to make the decision at this time of night," Jacob told him as he stood up and stretched. "We'll worry about everything tomorrow. For now – I don't know about you, but Selmak and I are tired and ready for bed." He stood up and stretched. "You guys coming?" he asked the members of Sg1. "We'll stay in the Tel'tak tonight," he told Jack, "and come back here tomorrow morning. We can discuss what we're going to do then."

Jack stood slowly and watched as his friends gathered their things. "Thanks for coming to get me guys," he said quietly, as they prepared to head back to their ship.

"Of course Sir. We're just happy to have found you!"

"Have a good night Major," he told her with a small smile. "Don't let the bed bugs bite!"

"I'll try not to Sir," she grinned. She gave a small wave and headed to where her father was waiting for her.

"It is good to have found you, O'Neill. I am greatly relieved you did not die in the explosion."

"Me too buddy, me too!" Jack chuckled, slapping his hand on Teal'c's shoulder. He watched as he Jaffa friend gave him a smile and then turned and followed Jacob and Sam.

Finally it was only Daniel who was left. He regarded Jack closely. "Bitter sweet," he said to his friend.

"Yeah – I mean – I'm thrilled you guys made it but -"

"I know," Daniel nodded. "We'll figure something out Jack, don't worry. It's just – I'm also glad we found you!"

This time Jack gave Daniel an affectionate slap on the back and said goodnight. He watched as his three teammates and Jacob headed off towards the Tel'tac, and then slowly made his way to his own bed. He was exhausted with everything that had happened that day. He refused to think about anything more tonight, other than the fact that his friends had not left him behind!

The next morning Jack was woken up by a little body jumping on top of him. With a loud "ooph" he sat up, grabbed Beth and gently tickled her until she erupted in huge laughs.

A moment later he could hear James squawking so he left Beth on the bed and headed to the make-shift crib.

"Hey you," he said to the little boy. "What are you crying for?" He reached in and picked him up, gently patting his back. "I bet you're hungry, aren't you?" It was only then that Jack realized that Rumina hadn't been over that morning to feed him.

He hoped nothing was wrong. "I guess we'd better go find her," he told the fussy baby. "Come on Beth – let's go find Auntie Rumina!"

He was surprised that neither Oya or Eryx were around either. He must have been awfully tired, since he had slept through both of them getting up and leaving the house.

A moment later he was knocking on Rumina's door. It only took her a few seconds to answer.

"I am sorry Jack," she said, reaching for the now fully crying boy. "We slept late this morning after last night's celebration," she told him. She moved into the room and sat down and immediately began to nurse James.

Beth ran over to Rumina's baby and began to play with him, while Jack sat in the kitchen, waiting for Rumina to finish nursing James.

"He is growing big," she said.

"Yes he is. That's because of you," Jack told her. "Thank you for doing this!"

"Of course," she replied with a frown. "I would never let a child die of hunger if I could help it."

"No, I know that. It's just – I appreciate it."

"He is a sweet boy," she said, looking down at the hungrily eating baby. "You are lucky to have them."

"Yes – well – I needed to talk to you about that," Jack told her softly. He didn't want to do this – he didn't want to leave the children, but he knew it was for the best.

"Rumina, I wanted to ask you -" he paused, grimacing slightly.

"What is it Jack?" she asked. "Is something wrong?" she frowned.

"No, no. Everything's good. It's just," he sighed, "it's about the children." He glanced over at Beth, to make sure she was busy and couldn't hear the conversation.

"The children? You mean Beth and James?"

"Yes," he nodded. "Look, I'm going to be going back to my home – with my friends. And – well – I'll be travelling for many weeks in the ship and that's not good for kids – so, I was wondering," he stopped again.

"You were wondering?" she prompted.

"Yes – I wondered – if you would take the children. Would you and Lukos adopt them?"

Rumina stared at him blankly for a few seconds, and then frowned fiercely. " _Adopt_ them? But they are yours. They are your children."

He briefly closed his eyes, trying to avoid the pain he felt at this decision, but then finally opened them and spoke. "Yes, but it's better that I not take them with me. I wouldn't have any way to feed them and they'd be stuck for weeks inside a spaceship. Besides that -"

"What? Besides what?"

"I'm single," he told her. "I live alone and I work very long hours. I have no one to help me look after them. They need a family!"

"They have a family Jack O'Neill," she told him sternly, "and it's you! You looked after them just fine on your own – out in the middle of nowhere, with no one else to help you. So don't you tell me you cannot look after them at your home!"

"But – I can't travel with them!"

"Yes you can," she told him. "You are creative so come up with a solution. You traveled with them all the way here!"

"So you don't want them?" he finally asked. He had been so sure she wouldn't mind. Now he had to figure out an alternate solution.

Rumina sighed and lifted James to her shoulder to burp him. She looked directly at Jack. "I did not say that," she told him. "Of course we will keep him if you absolutely refuse to take them with you – which I believe is a mistake. You do not have to worry that I would not love them and look after them as if they were my own."

"I know Rumina. Thank you!" He gave her a smile, but then looked down at the now sleepy little boy. He felt his heart contract in pain at the thought of leaving him and Beth. He loved them so much.

"Here, take him," Rumina said, handing him the now happy baby. "You must keep them Jack. They have already lost one set of parents, now don't let them lose you too."

"They'll soon forget me," he said softly.

Rumina snorted. "They will not!" she said. "Beth especially will always remember – and will always wonder why you left her too. They have lost too much already."

"Rumina, I …" he sighed and rubbed his fingers through his hair. "I don't _want_ to leave them, but really can't figure out how I could take them back with me. James still needs you."

"Then I shall go with you," she announced.

"What?" he blinked at her. "But – you can't."

"Why not?"

"Well – you have your own child – and your husband. I told you, it will take weeks and then how would you get back?"

This time Rumina sighed. "I did not think of that." She smiled slightly. "I did always want to travel the stars, though."

Jack chuckled and walked over to her and squatted down, James still in his arms. "You are a good woman Rumina! I really can't think of anyone I would trust more to take the children."

She shook her head slowly. "I still think you are wrong, Jack O'Neill. But, if you insist I will take them. I think first you need to speak with your friends. I believe they will try and talk sense into you."

He slowly stood and smiled at her. "They're more likely to agree with me – but I will talk to them. Thank you!"

"You are welcome! Now go! You must go to your friends – especially to Samantha."

"Uh – why her?" he frowned.

Rumina rolled her eyes at him and then stood to retrieve her own son. She replied as she lifted the baby to her shoulder. "Because she loves you," Rumina replied. She then glanced up at the man who had become her friend. "She would also make a good mother!"

Jack shook his head and then called for Beth. As he was heading to the door with his children he turned one last time to Rumina. "We're just friends," he said. "It was just she was happy to see me after thinking I was dead."

"Mmm," the other woman pursed her lips and lifted an eyebrow. "If that is what you want to tell yourself Jack, you go ahead. But believe me – I can see when a woman is in love. Now go – I'm sure your friends are waiting."

He left her house, holding a burbling James in one arm, with Beth skipping along beside him.

"Da!" she squealed, pointing to the four people walking towards them. "Uncow Teek, Uncow Dan'l, Uncow Dacop," she cried. She then raced towards her Da's friends. "Auntie Sammy!" She threw herself at Sam, who laughed and picked her up and swung her around.

"Well hello Miss Beth! How are you this morning!" she asked the giggling girl.

"Ai's good! Da got Damie!"

"Damie?"

"She means James, Carter. Beth – don't strangle Auntie Sammy." He readjusted James, who was wiggling and holding out his arms towards Daniel. With a shrug he passed the little boy over to the rather surprised archaeologist.

"Well hello James," Daniel said formally to the grinning boy. "You're happy this morning."

"He just ate," Jack explained. "Well, it looks like the children have deserted me!"

"That's because they know who will spoil them," Jacob pointed out. "Uncles and Aunts are always the best."

Teal'c, Jacob and Jack all watched as Beth and James wrapped their two teammates around their little fingers. Jack wanted to laugh at Daniel – who was already trying to teach James by explaining the meaning of his name.

"I don't think he cares Daniel," Jack pointed out. "He just wants to bite your nose."

Daniel chuckled and gently bounced the happy baby. "So – what are the plans for today?" he finally asked.

Jack instantly grew sober and regarded his teammates closely. "I guess I should get ready. Jacob – when did you want to leave?"

"Whenever you want to Jack," Jacob replied. "Although I do need to get back soon, one or two days aren't going to make a big difference."

"Do you have a lot of things to do before you can leave?" Daniel asked.

"No – not really. I guess – it's just making sure that Beth and James are settled."

"Settled? You've definitely decided to leave them?" Jacob stated quietly.

"I don't see that I have any choice. Rumina has agreed to take them." He closed his eyes, almost overwhelmed with the thought. "No point drawing it out I guess."

"But Sir – how can you?" Sam asked. "You love them."

"Yes – of course I do. And the best thing I can do is to provide them with a family who will love them. Taking them would just be – selfish!"

"I do not agree O'Neill," Teal'c said. The Jaffa was looking around, regarding the planet carefully. "I believe that they will be in danger if they remain."

"In danger?" Jack frowned. "What do you mean? Things are peaceful here – now that the Goa'uld is dead."

"But for how long, Jack," Jacob pointed out. "There are only two small communities here and they no longer are being supplied by Aker or his Jaffa with food or supplies. All it would take would be a natural disaster or disease to decimate the planet."

"I understand that there are large deposits of nacquada here," Teal'c reminded him. "It is likely that another System Lord or someone else with a ship will hear about this planet and will conquer it to obtain the mineral."

"I don't see that being likely," Jack said.

"But he's right, Sir. How did Aker find out about this place? He also may have told others – or maybe he still has followers somewhere. Teal'c is right – there aren't enough people here to defend the planet if it was attacked."

"So – what are you saying? That I take the children but leave the others to potentially be wiped out?"

"No – of course not," Jacob answered. "But maybe we should think about finding these people a different place to live."

"Even if we were to do that," Jack replied, "how in hell could we transport them all? I know there aren't that many people, but you'd still need more than a Tel'tak to move them."

Everyone grew quiet, trying to think of a solution. They were finally interupted by a loud squeal from James – who decided he wanted to try Teal'c's arms next. Everyone laughed as they watched Teal'c take the little boy and play with him.

But Jack couldn't stop thinking about what his friends had said. How could he leave the villagers so defenseless?

He sighed and slowly started walking back with the others, all of them still laughing and playing with the children. He glanced down at little Beth, who was holding Carter's hand, and couldn't help but remember Rumina's words. She would make a good mother.

He didn't know what the hell he was going to do.


	15. Change in Plans

"Jack, can I talk to you?" Jacob approached him and sat down. They were outside since the houses of the local residents were all too small to accommodate them, so they'd set up chairs and a table just outside the small village. Jack had been sitting, watching his teammates play with the two young children. James was on a blanket on the ground and Sam was making him laugh by making silly noises. Beth was playing Ring Around the Rosy with Teal'c and Daniel.

"Got tired of falling down?" Jack asked him, referring to the game.

"Selmac was getting bored," Jacob replied. A second later it was Selmak speaking.

"Do not believe him, Colonel O'Neill. It was Jacob that tired of the game."

"Traitor," Jacob told his symbiote. He then let out a long breath. "This is nice. No Jaffa, Goa'uld, or fighting for our lives. I could get used to this."

"Yeah, me too," Jack replied, sounding melancholy.

Jacob looked at him seriously. "You don't want to go back?"

"To Earth? Yes, of course I do. It's my home. I just don't know if I want to - give this up."

"The life, or the kids?"

Jack sighed and leaned his head back. "Both I guess – although I'm not sure I'm cut out to be a farmer." He glanced sideways at the older man. "Goats," he explained.

"Goats?"

"Yeah – they're harder to deal with than Daniel. More stubborn."

Jacob laughed. "Really? I didn't think anything could be more stubborn than Daniel. But farming aside – what will you miss?"

"The simplicity I guess. Although realistically I know that it seems more appealing than it probably really is. I mean – life here would have been hard."

"Yes, you're right. It would have been very hard, especially with little in the way of medical care or supplies. I meant what I said Jack – I don't think it's safe for these people to remain here without better infrastructure."

"Yeah, but the problem remains – how do we get them to a place with - that?"

"Well, we could bring the infrastructure here."

"What?" Jack turned and looked at Jacob. "How in hell would we do that? There isn't even a gate here. And why would anyone move here?"

"Well, there is something here that makes this planet valuable."

"The nacquada," Jack nodded. "But again – there's no gate and it's not exactly in our – or anyone's – backyard."

"Well – there are quite a few planets out there that are deserted and yet have gates on them. What if we bring one of those gates here?"

"Bring a gate _here?_ Uh – if we don't have a ship big enough to transport people, we certainly don't have one big enough to transport a _gate_!"

"I know but – listen – I was thinking that if we were to contact the Asgard they certainly do have a big enough ship."

"It's my understanding that they didn't respond when my team reached out to them to find me. What makes you think they'll respond now?"

"I don't know that they will," Jacob answered truthfully. "But if we tell them it's an entire planet that's in trouble, they may be willing to come."

"Yeah – I guess looking for just me wasn't worth it to them."

"I doubt that's it Jack. I expect they're having trouble with the replicators still. They think very highly of you. In fact, Thor informed me that they think you're considered to be a very important person by the Asgard. Something about your destiny!

Jack snorted. "Yeah, sure. If anyone is important it's Carter and maybe Daniel. I'm just an old grunt of a soldier."

"I understand it's your genes," Jacob told him with a faint grin.

"I hope you mean genes with a "g" because I have a feeling the Asgard aren't that into clothing."

"Jack – it can't hurt to try," Jacob reiterated, ignoring Jack's attempt at humor.

"No, I guess not – although stealing a gate from another planet and bringing it here – is kind of radical, isn't it?" Jack sighed. "How do you propose to get in touch with the Asgard? Are you planning to wait until we get back to Earth?"

"We could, although that will take weeks. I thought I'd take the Tel'tak for a bit of a trip and send out some hyperspace signals. In the meantime you and your team could stay here and help the people get established."

"Yeah, about that – if we do this thing I want to make sure that the people here are in control of any mining and trade. This is their planet and I don't want Earth or the Tok'ra or someone else coming in and taking advantage of them!"

"Of course not," Jacob agreed. "In fact – why don't you get Daniel to help set up some laws and establish a local government. He can also work out trade treaties and make sure the locals maintain sovereignty over the planet."

"I worry that with so few of them they won't be able to withstand any kind of attack if someone decides they want the Nacquada."

"Tell them to ask the Asgard for protected planet status. And Earth can also provide protection."

"Yeah – I guess."

"You don't sound happy."

"No, it's not that. I think this might be a good thing. Most of these people don't have homes to return to and I'm pretty sure they like the idea of starting fresh. It's just – ah hell – I don't know."

"The kids?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna miss them," he said softly, watching Teal'c swing Beth around – her giggles bringing a smile to his face. And then there was James – erupting in baby belly laughs as Sam blew raspberries on his tummy. How the hell could he let them go?

"You don't have to, you know. You could adopt them."

"How? I'm single and half the time I'm traipsing around the galaxy. My job isn't exactly safe. I could get killed on a mission and then they'd be orphaned again. No, it's best that Rumina and Lukos take them." He sighed and stood up. "But thanks Jacob. I appreciate the thought. And yes – I think you should try and find the Asgard. If that doesn't work maybe we can find a way to come back with some help."

He walked slowly towards Sam and James, needing to spend as much time as he could with the children before they left.

Damn – sometimes life was hell.

Jacob watched as O'Neill walked away from him, and shook his head. And he called Daniel stubborn! Once Jack O'Neill thought something was right, it was impossible to move him.

Well, he'd just have to figure some way of changing the man's mind. He needed those children, and they needed him!

"Sounds like he's having fun," Jack grinned as he approached Sam and the laughing baby. She turned to him with a huge smile on her face.

"He is a little doll!" she said. The little boy was still giggling and reached up and grabbed Sam's hair and held on. He looked at his father and grinned and began to babble.

"You like her do you?" Jack asked. "I know, Auntie Sammy's pretty special, isn't she?"

Sam rolled her eyes, embarrassed by the Colonel's praise. "Here, did you want him?"

"He seems pretty happy with you, but if you're getting tired …?"

"No, no," she said. "We're having fun. And so it Beth!" Sam nodded to where the little girl was now being chased by Teal'c. Her squeals caused all the adults to smile.

"And so it Teal'c," Jack stated. "Hey Daniel," he called. "You giving up?"

"She exhausted me Jack," Daniel answered. He was collapsed on the grass, watching as the tiny girl chased after the big man three times her size. "One can only take so much Ring Around the Rosie before collapsing."

"You're just a wuss Danny," Jack told him. "I can go for hours."

"Really?"

"Yeah – at least it felt like it! Beth loves the game."

Jack slowly sat on the blanket next to Sam. James finally reached out, wanting to be held by his father, so Jack took the little boy. "You're getting tired, aren't you," he said softly.

"What were you and my father talking about Sir?" she asked. She watched as Jack gently placed the little boy on his shoulder and began to rock and pat his back.

"About the planet here," he told her softly. "He's going to see if he can contact the Asgard. He's worried that the people won't survive without help."

"And he thinks the Asgard might give them assistance?"

"Well, he's actually going to ask them to bring a gate here and then the people won't be cut off. They'll be able to trade Nacquada for supplies."

"Wow that's – wow. Do you think they'll do it?"

"The Asgard? Who knows. They have some weird rules sometimes. If not, then maybe we could see about bringing them a gate ourselves. It would take a while, but the Air Force might go for it if it means we get a regular supply of Nacquada."

"Who would control the mines?"

"The inhabitants here. I'm going to ask Daniel to help them set up a government and laws, etc. I don't want them taken advantage of."

"That's a good idea – and Daniel will love it. But – where are we going to find a gate?"

"We'll need to find a planet that's uninhabited but that has a gate on it. Nobody will miss it then."

"I didn't think of that. In fact, I wonder that we didn't think of that before." Sam said. "Sounds like an interesting idea. When is he planning to try and contact the Asgard?"

"He didn't say but I assume it will be soon. You guys have been gone too long already. I'm sure Hammond – and the Tok'ra High Council are all getting antsy."

"It was worth it Sir," she told him. "And I know that General Hammond will feel the same."

"I just hope the President and the powers that be agree!"

"If we can go back and tell them we've found a regular supply of Nacquada - then I think they'll be just find."

Jack nodded, sure that Sam was probably right about that.

"He's asleep Sir," Sam whispered as she motioned towards the baby. "Do you want me to take him?"

"No – I enjoy holding him. I – won't get to for much longer."

Sam frowned. "You're not leaving them Sir?"

"No other choice Major. I can't really look after two little kids."

"But you have looked after them – really well. They're both happy and thriving."

"I've already had this conversation with your father and unfortunately I've made up my mind. As much as I'd like to keep them – it wouldn't be fair to them. They need a family –not a grumpy old soldier."

"You're not old and you're definitely not grumpy Sir," she told him. "And you'd be a wonderful family for them. They couldn't find a better father than you – and think of the opportunities they'll have with you. I wouldn't be so quick to give them up Colonel."

Jack sighed, but didn't answer. The truth was, the idea of leaving them was killing him, even though he knew that Rumina and Lukos would look after them. But still – could either of them love the children as much as he did? He didn't know.

Just then Jacob walked over, followed by Teal'c and Daniel. Teal'c was holding a sleeping Beth in his arms.

"Elizabeth O'Neill has fallen asleep," he told Jack in a low voice. "She grew tired from all the playing."

"You're lookin' rather tired yourself, Teal'c," Jack pointed out.

"Children's games are rather exhausting O'Neill. But I had a fun time. And I outlasted Daniel Jackson."

"You did indeed!" Jack laughed. "I guess we should put them both down for their naps. I could also use something to drink!"

The friends made their way to Oya's so that they could put the children to bed. The older woman met them at the door to her house and looked them all over carefully.

"It appears as if you have all been playing," she commented. "Now put those children to bed and then I will bring you some food!"

"Oya, you didn't need to fix us food," Jack told her.

"Don't be silly Jack. You must eat and so must your friends. Now put the baby down and wash your hands!"

After he and Teal'c had laid down the children they followed the others outside, where they washed their hands and then all sat down at the table.

"What does it feel like to have a mother again," Daniel asked him with a grin. "Oya treats you like her son."

"Yeah – it's kind of nice, actually," Jack laughed. "As long as she doesn't make me eat my spinach!"

"They have spinach on this world?' Teal'c asked.

"No – but if they did she would probably make me eat it!"

The friends sat chatting as they waited for Oya to bring lunch. Jack finally turned to Jacob. "When are you thinking of sending the message?"

"I'll head out tomorrow. If you're okay to spend a few more days here, I thought I'd try sending the signal from a few different places."

"Where are you going Jacob?" Daniel asked, puzzled.

"He's going to see if he can contact the Asgard," Jack told him. "He's taking the Tel'tak up for a few days."

"Why?"

"Why is he contacting the Asgard? Jacob – you tell him."

So Jacob explained what he and Jack had planned. The others all nodded in agreement.

"It think it's a great idea. I just hope they answer," Daniel replied. "We haven't heard anything from them for months."

"And if they don't contact us?" Sam finally asked what everyone had been wondering.

"We all head back to Earth and explain the matter to Hammond. Hopefully he'll allow us to return and either resettle the people, or see about bringing them a gate. It'll just take a lot longer if we have to go back to Earth first."

"Well, we'll just have to hope that the Asgard will reply. They haven't exactly been responsive lately."

"They're still fighting the replicators," Sam reminded him gently. "But I hope they come too!"

"Daniel, while we're waiting for Jacob to get back, there's something you could do."

Jack told him about his idea for Daniel to help the people develop a government and laws. By the end of his explanation Daniel was practically jumping in his seat.

'That's a great idea Jack," he said. "We can develop a strong government based on the principles of justice. I just wish I had some more books with me. I guess I'll just have to try and remember!"

"You do that Daniel," Jack smiled. Just then Oya arrived with a tray load of food.

"This is nice Sir," Sam said a while later. "The people here are so friendly and genuine. I do hope we can find them a gate and stay in contact."

"Me too Major," Jack said softly. "Me too."


	16. The Chappa'ai

_**I hope everyone hasn't forgotten me after so long. My sincerest apologies - the last year has been crazy with a new (and extremely stressful) job. I have little time or energy to write, but hopefully will be able to finish my stories that are in progress.**_

 _ **Hope a few of you, at least, will enjoy the next 2**_ **chapters...**

They all walked with Jacob back to the Tel'tak the next morning, and watched as he took off to try and contact the Asgard. A few minutes of silence followed and then Jack turned to his friends.

"I'd better get back. The kids will be up soon."

"I've already started writing out a few things, Jack. Did you want to speak with some of the elders to see if they're okay with me doing this? I want to make sure they feel like they're behind anything I put together."

"Sure. I'll speak to Solon and explain."

"Do you think they'll go along with it?"

"I don't know Daniel," Jack replied as they continued towards the village. "They may not want to even consider having a gate here."

"But why not, Sir?" Sam asked. "It will make things a lot easier for them. They can get supplies through the gate and maintain contact with others."

"They fear the Goa'uld," Teal'c told her solemnly. "For many of them the Chapa'ai was evil. It brought only bad things to them."

"I didn't think about that," Sam sighed. "Although there aren't that many Goa'uld left."

"Teal'c's right," Jack nodded. "All they've known is slavery and being subjugated to a cruel master. It's going to be hard for them to trust. That's why we'll have to get the Asgard to agree to give them protected planet status."

"If we can find them," Daniel sighed. "Why are they never there when you need them?"

"They've often helped us Daniel," Sam chided him. "But they do have their own business to attend to. If it wasn't for them, we would have been destroyed or enslaved by the Goa'uld or else by the replicators. Personally I'm a big fan of the Asgard."

"As we all are, Major," the Colonel replied. "But I must say that I feel kind of like Daniel. Maybe we should suggest that Thor carry a locator chip so that we could find him!"

"Sir, if you want to speak with the elders about the Gate and about Daniel helping them write up a constitution, I'm glad to look after the children," Sam suggested as they approached the village.

"That would be great Major, thank you. But are you sure you can handle both of them?"

"Teal'c will help me," she grinned, "won't you Teal'c?"

He bowed his head in her direction. "I shall be honored, Major Carter."

Jack watched with a small smile on his face as two of his team members went to get the two young children dressed and fed. They really were like family, he thought.

"I think your kids have Teal'c and Sam wrapped around their little fingers," Daniel commented. "I will never get the picture of Teal'c playing Ring around the Rosy out of my head."

Jack laughed. "Yeah, it was priceless, wasn't it. Too bad you didn't get a video of it. It would have been great blackmail material."

"Darn," Daniel snapped his fingers and then grinned. "But I can tell the story _really_ well!"

Jack laughed again as they moved towards Solon's house.

He and Teal'c had been correct. There was quite a bit of resistance to the idea of a gate being brought to the planet.

"We are safe now," Theron commented. "The Goa'uld will not know we are here. If we obtain a Chappa'ai, what is to stop them from coming to our home?"

"They could come in ships, if they wanted to come," Phoebe pointed out. _"We_ were brought in ships, not through the Chappa'ai. I, for one, think it would be a good idea. I am more frightened of being so isolated. What if something goes wrong? What if there is a drought, or an illness we cannot treat. We could all die."

"We are not going to die," Chara objected. "We are finally free. We have hope of a tomorrow for ourselves and our children. Why would we give that away to strangers? If we obtain a chappa'ai we will lose our freedom!"

"No, no," Daniel told him. "That is why I want to help you write your laws. I want to make sure that everyone knows this is _your_ planet, that you have dominion over everything. My people will respect that and only trade fairly with you!"

Jack gave a small snort – knowing that his government, hell, his planet was just as likely to treat the people _unfairly_. That is where the Asgard came in. They would (if they agreed) ensure that the people were dealt with fairly and that they would maintain control over their planet and their resources.

He finally interrupted Daniel and the elders when it seemed as if things were going in circles. He'd known it would be a challenge to convince everyone and he also knew that Daniel wasn't the person to convince them.

"Friends," he said, holding up his hand. "You know that I only want what is best for all of you. You took me in, you healed me, you looked after me and my children. For these things know that I will always feel as if I am one of you and -"

"You _are_ one of us, Jack O'Neill," called Oya. By the time practically the whole village surrounded them. "We trust you with our lives."

"Then please listen," he turned and face the crown. "Know that I only have your best interests at heart. I want to ensure that you are all safe, that you are all well. Although it is true that there is hope – that this is a new start to life for everyone – it is also true that life will be hard here. You have little and without a gate, there will be no contact with anyone else – no food in case of famine, no medicine in case of disease, no water if there is a drought. I know that you fear the Goa'uld – but they are not your biggest danger," he told them. "The Goa'uld's power over the galaxy is almost gone, and one by one the system lords have fallen."

"So you promise that we will be safe from the Goa'uld if we allow for the Chappa'ai?" asked Lukos. He and Rumina stood beside Oya at the edge of the crowd.

"I cannot foresee the future, therefore I will not make such a promise. But I _can_ promise that we will do everything we can to ensure your safety. We will ensure you have supplies, medicine – all you need to build a happy and prosperous life."

There was murmuring in the crowd, and the elders spoke quietly to one another. It was Eryx who finally called out – "I do not want to live in a world that is cut off from everyone. I do not want to live in a world of hardship and toil, with no hope for prosperity. I say we agree to the Chappa'ai, but we also ensure our laws are strong so that we retain power over our own destiny!"

The murmuring grew louder, with a few calls to accept the gate. There were also a few detractors, those who feared the Goa'uld above all else. But in the end, those in favor of the "Chappa'ai" won out. There was a muted cheer and then everyone but the elders slowly made their way back to their homes.

It was only then that Jack saw Sam and Teal'c standing off towards the side, away from where the crowd had stood. They each held a child in their arms.

"Hey," he said, walking towards them. "How are you guys doing? Surviving the kids?"

"There is no question of survival O'Neill," Teal'c answered seriously, all the while James kept trying to reach for his tattoo. "Your children are well-behaved and Major Carter and myself have enjoyed playing with them."

"They're sweethearts, Sir," Sam added, giggling at Beth who was chatting away at her. "We had a lovely time, although I think they're getting hungry."

"Probably," Jack agreed. "They're hungry a _lot._ Hey – maybe they're related to Teal'c."

"I do not believe so O'Neill," the Jaffa answered. "If anyone, they resemble you."

"Why me?" Jack asked, although he admitted to feeling pleased by the comparison.

"They are children," Teal'c told him. "And of everyone you are most childlike."

Jack raised his eyebrows, pretty sure he'd been insulted, although Sam's giggle made it bearable. He reached out for James, taking him from Teal'c. "See if we're going to let Uncle Teal'c play with you after that," he said to the little boy, who simply babbled at him. "Come on folks – time for all of us to eat."

"How did it go Sir," Sam asked him as they walked towards the village.

"They've agreed to accept a gate if we can get one here. There's a lot of fear of the Goa'uld but I think they recognize the danger of being so isolated."

"Maybe we can equip it with an iris, like ours."

"Would that be possible?" he stopped and looked at her for a moment, and then resumed walking.

"I don't see why not. It would mean they'd have to have someone monitoring the gate, but it would probably be worth it if it made them feel more secure."

"Okay – if we can get a gate here let's see what we can do."

Jack spent the next few days relaxing. He enjoyed spending time with Teal'c and Sam and the children. Daniel was busy helping the locals write up laws and a constitution, although he spent the evenings sitting with his teammates, or some of the locals, simply talking and taking it easy.

Jack knew this was a brief moment which would soon be gone. He tried not to think about leaving the planet and the children and simply enjoy the few days left. But the sadness couldn't help but sneak into his thoughts. Leaving James and Beth was going to just about kill him.

Finally, on the six day since he'd left, Jacob returned. They spotted him walking towards the village just as they were sitting out and enjoying the warm evening air.

"Jacob," Jack called, both happy and sad to see the Tokra/general. "How did it go?"

"Hi Jack, Sam, Daniel, Teal'c. It went well."

"So you were able to get in touch with the Asgard."

Jacob nodded. "I did. We were right – they've been busy dealing with the replicators and sent their regrets over not having been able to come to your rescue. Thor felt especially badly."

"He's a great – uh – little gray alien. So, what did they say about -" Jack waved his arm, indicating the planet.

"They agreed to help. First they want to speak with the elders to make sure that's what they want, but if they get the go ahead they'll arrange to bring a gate and provide protected planet status."

Jack pursed his lips and then nodded. "That's great – I'll let the elders know. Uh – when does he think -"

"Tomorrow," Jacob told him. "They're here already," he pointed up to the sky, "but they want to let you speak with the elders first."

"Great, I'll speak with them in the morning," Jack said.

"And they've offered to take us back to Earth when the negotiations are done," Jacob informed them. "That way you can get back quickly rather than a long flight in the Tel'tak."

"That's great," Jack told him. "I'm sure that General Hammond and his superiors are getting anxious."

"It will be good to be back," Teal'c said solemnly.

Daniel looked searchingly at Jack, but then nodded. "Yeah, although I don't want to leave until things are all in order here."

"We won't Daniel," Jack told him, "although there's not much left to do. I'm pretty sure the Asgard can handle things."

As Jacob sat down and began to talk to his teammates, Jack leaned his head back, suddenly melancholy how quickly things were moving. Soon he would have to say goodbye to the people here – and to the children.


	17. Home and Family

Jack was correct. As soon as the elders agreed, negotiations with the Asgard began. They already had a gate in mind – from a planet no longer inhabited. Sam spoke to Thor about an iris and that was also quickly agreed upon.

Jack and Daniel also informed the elders that, once the gate was up and running, a representative from Earth would be in touch to talk about trade.

Solon nodded, but then spoke. "We request that you be the representative, Jack O'Neill. And we would also accept Dr. Jackson."

"Well, they may have someone better in mind," Jack began, but was immediately interrupted by Phoebe.

"We trust you O'Neill, and Dr. Jackson. We will only negotiate with you."

"Okay," he sighed, "we can do that," he said. He leaned over and whispered to Daniel "the folks back home may not like this."

"If they do not like it," Theron informed them, obviously overhearing, "then they do not have to trade with us. We will look for other trading partners."

Daniel covered his grin with his hand. "They learn quickly," he muttered to Jack. "They're definitely discovering their own power."

"Yeah – and that's a good thing," Jack informed him. "The last thing I want is for them to be taken advantage of!"

It took 3 days of heavy negotiating before everything was agreed upon with the Asgard. It was now time for Jack and the others to hitch a ride home with their friendly allies. Thor had also offered to tow the Tel'tak, so that Jacob could return home quickly.

"I figure the Council is having a fit about now," Jacob informed them.

"Will you get in trouble?" Jack asked, concerned about his friend.

"Nah – Sel'mak can handle them. They like to throw their weight around, but in the end they can't really do anything to us- they need all the Tokra they can get. But I must admit I'm ready to get back myself."

The local inhabitants threw a big party the night before the visitors were to leave and Jack was the guest of honor, although they recognized the others as well, especially Daniel.

It was a fun party – with food and drink and music. The people were celebrating their guests, their freedom, as well as a much brighter future. Jack only hoped they would have that future. Happily the treaty with the Asgard made that much more likely.

He'd enjoyed the music and the dancing, but was now sitting quietly in the shadows of one of the houses, his chair leaned back and his head against the siding. He was again feeling sad and needed a few minutes alone. Tomorrow he'd have to say goodbye to James and Beth and the thought was killing him.

"O'Neill?" A voice out of the darkness disturbed him and he frowned.

"Lukos? Is that you?"

"Yes, it is I and Rumina. We would speak with you."

"Of course." He dropped his chair forward and watched as the young man and woman stepped closer. "What is it?" he frowned, concerned by their serious expressions.

"We need to tell you something," Lukos told him. "It is difficult."

"O –kay," he said slowly, looking from one to the other. "Is everything okay?"

"Oh – yes," Rumina answered quickly. "It is nothing bad – at least – I am with child."

Jack's brows went up. "Congratulations," he told them. "That's wonderful. There's nothing wrong, I hope?"

"No, no, everything is fine. It is just –" Rumina looked to her husband as if for help.

"What Rumina is trying to say is that with another child on the way – we do not believe we can accept Beth and James. Please – they are lovely children," he rushed on to say, "and of course if something had happened to you we would have taken them gladly. But – I believe it will be too much for Rumina with another child on the way."

"I – see," Jack answered, not quite sure what to say. "I understand – it's a lot to ask." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Now he had to figure out who else could take –

"We asked," Rumina rushed in, almost as if she had heard his thoughts. "We asked in the village who could take the children and – everyone said no. It's not that they don't care – it is just that everyone is struggling to start a new life and two young children … it is too much for people."

"No one?" Jack asked, feeling suddenly angry. "But they are from here. Their parents were brought here with all of you and they _died_ here. Everyone is just planning to ignore two young children because they're _busy?_ "

"It is not that Jack," Lukos answered quietly. "Of course – if there was no one to look after them then we – or someone – would have gladly stepped forward. But the children have a family, they have someone. _You_ are their father and everyone believes they should remain with you."

There was dead silence while Jack contemplated what the young couple was saying. Suddenly he realized that it was a conspiracy – a conspiracy to make sure he kept the children. He was pretty sure that if he simply said he was leaving _without_ the children, that someone, possibly even Rumina and Lukos would quickly step up and take them.

"This was Oya's idea, wasn't it?"

Rumina looked guilty, but to give him his due, Lukos simply shook his head. "This is how everyone feels, Jack. Beth and James love you and you love them. They have already lost one set of parents, they must not lose you too."

Jack sighed and closed his eyes. This was just great – the day before he was to leave.

"And now there is no concern about you looking after the children on a long journey," Rumina pointed out. "The Asgard have said they can get you home quickly."

He realized that they'd thought of everything – and he was still sure that this came from Oya. _But this gave you an excuse, Jack,_ his inner voice told him. _You'll have to take James and Beth with you now._ Maybe he could arrange for them to be adopted on Earth.

He slowly shook his head. He couldn't do that to them – or to himself. It had been one thing to leave them here, with their own people. There was no way he would want to give them up on Earth.

"I guess I don't have any choice," he finally said.

"You are not angry?" Rumina asked. "You will not resent them?"

"Beth and James? No – of course not. And I'm not angry. I understand and – hell – this way I can keep them with me." He suddenly smiled and stood up. "Thank you," he reached and pulled Rumina into a hug. She wept a little into his shoulder and he realized that she would miss the children. He leaned back and looked ather carefully, wondering whether she really was pregnant or not.

Next he gave Lukos a swift hug and pat on the back. Finally he stepped away. "I guess I'd better go and get them ready. They have a big trip tomorrow. And – thank you."

Rumina beamed and Lukos grinned. "You are welcome, Jack O'Neill. They are very lucky children."

He wasn't so sure about that, he thought as he walked back to the house. He still had no idea how in hell he was going to look after two young children when he got back home. The one thing he did know was that this probably meant the end of his time on Sg1.

"Hey Sir – we wondered where you were." Sam was looking at him with a gentle smile on her face. God – she was beautiful.

"Just needed a few moments of quiet to say goodbye to this place," he said, quietly.

"You'll miss them," she told him softly. "They're good people."

"Yes, they are."

"I'm sorry about the children," she added. "I know it's going to be hard to leave them."

"No, it's not," he answered.

That surprised her, and she looked at him enquiringly, probably wondering if he was trying to ignore or cover up his feelings. "Uh – it's not?"

"No, because I'm not leaving them. I just found out that none of the villagers are willing to take the kids."

"But - I thought Lukos and Rumina …?"

"They're pregnant – or at least that's what they just told me – and don't feel they can look after Beth and James as well as a newborn."

"Oh – what about the other families."

"Nope – everyone is too busy settling in."

" _Everyone_?"

"That's what I was told."

"But," Sam frowned, but after only a couple of seconds her brow cleared. "I see," she said. She pressed her lips together tightly, clearly trying not to smile. After a few seconds she cleared her throat. "Well then, I guess that means …?"

"I'm taking them."

At that she did grin and he was almost sure he caught her pumping her fist by her side in victory.

"That's gre – uh – good Sir," she said, her face becoming serious (although her eyes still gave her away). I think that's for the best anyway."

"You do?" he said, his eyebrow going up.

"Mmm hmm. You're their father and they love you – and you clearly love them. I think they're lucky kids. And they'll have more opportunities on Earth, even if the Asgard will be helping here. It's still just a farming community."

"Yeah – I guess so." He stared for a moment at his 2IC – and then shook his head. He was pretty sure the whole damn planet – and his team – were aligned in this.

"I guess I'd better go get everything ready," he sighed. "Travelling with two young kids isn't easy!"

As he walked off Sam followed him with her eyes – a huge smile on her face. This time she raised her hand and _did_ pump her fist. " _Yes!"_ she cried. She would have to give Oya, Rumina and Lukos a huge hug.

"Is everything ready?" Jacob called. "Thor is ready to beam us up."

"Beam us up? Like Star Trek?" Jack asked with a smirk.

"Yes Jack – just like Star Trek. Where are the kids?"

"Oya is saying goodbye and crying over them. I think she feels like she's losing her grandchildren."

"But I thought she wanted them to go with you?" Jacob asked.

"Oh, she does – but that doesn't mean she's not going to miss them – and me," he grinned.

Jacob laughed and went to help his daughter and the others get ready to head home. He was starting to get worried that the Tokra High Council really _would_ be pissed and he needed to get back. He'd been weeks on the mission to save Jack.

"Ready to go kiddo," he asked his daughter.

"Oh hi Dad. Yeah – just saying goodbye."

"You'll be back when they get their new gate up and running."

"I hope so – they're lovely people."

"Hey Daniel," Jacob called as he saw the young man leaving one of the houses, a bunch of papers in his hand. "Ready to go?"

"What? Oh hi Jacob. Yes, just about. I just wanted to go over one more -"

"Nope – we gotta go. You'll be back and you can finish up then. Come on – where's Teal'c?"

"I am here Jacob Carter," the Jaffa approached quietly from behind. "I went to retrieve some of the belongings of young James and Elizabeth O'Neill. O'Neill has gone to retrieve the children."

"Does he need help?" Sam asked. Without waiting for an answer she hurried over to Oya's house – the others watching as she walked.

"I think she loves those kids as much as Jack does," Daniel commented innocently.

Jacob gave him a swift look and then turned to continue to watch his daughter. A frown suddenly appeared on his face, unseen by his two companions.

"Need some help Sir?" Sam knocked on the edge of Oya's open door. She watched as Jack picked up little Beth, who was happily chewing on a piece of fruit.

"Oh hi, Carter. Sure – can you grab James? He's still sleeping but I know Thor wants to get going."

"Sure." She walked over and gently lifted up the sleeping baby. He squirmed slightly, but was soon back deep in sleep, his little body resting against her shoulder.

"Okay kids – time to head home," Jack said softly. He gave one last look to the little house, and then headed out the door, Sam following immediately behind.

The entire village was standing outside, waiting to say goodbye. He felt a moment's sadness – he would miss these people – but then he remembered that he would probably be back soon.

"Thank you," he said to everyone. "You took me in and looked after me and my children and for that I can never thank you enough. I wish you all the best in your new land and with the freedom you deserve."

"We will miss you, Jack O'Neill," Solon spoke for everyone. "But we look forward to having you come back – and we look forward to becoming a friend of not just you – but of all Earth."

After a number of hugs – poor Beth was repeatedly squashed – he made his way to the clearing where his team and Jacob stood in wait. With one final wave to the villagers he disappeared in a flash of Asgard light.


	18. Playing With thor

"Welcome Sg1, Jacob Carter." Thor's voice welcomed them onto the Asgard ship. Before anyone had a chance to reply, however, the corridors rang with the piercing scream of a terrified toddler.

Beth wailed in terror, not understanding the sudden change from the surface of the planet, to this new, completely different environment.

"Damn," Jack said softly as he held the crying child. "I should have thought of this. Is James okay?"

"He seems fine, Sir. He's still sleeping." Sam was holding onto the baby, who hadn't seemed to even notice the trip to the Asgard ship.

By this time Thor had entered the room where the humans were standing. If anything his eyes grew larger as he watched the human he knew as O'Neill, cradling the seemingly inconsolable child.

"Is she ill, O'Neill?" he asked in concern.

"No – I think she's just frightened," he answered, continuing to try and soothe the child. "It's okay Beth, Daddy is here. You're okay – I have you safe. Everything is okay."

"Maybe she requires food," an increasingly worried Thor suggested.

"I think she just needs to calm down," Daniel told him.

"I can send you to another room where you may sit, O'Neill."

"Uh – just tell us the way. I don't think she likes being beamed."

"Did it hurt her?" the little Asgard wanted to know. "I was unaware that our technology would injure a human child."

"No – I think she is just frightened. She wouldn't be able to understand what happened." By this time Beth's screams had quieted somewhat, although she was still hiccuping and clutching on to her father's shirt.

The next thing they knew, James had woken up. He blinked a couple of times, took one look at Thor, and burst into loud tears as well – frightened at the unusual sight in front of him.

Daniel winced, Teal'c's eyebrow went up, Sam tried to talk to and jiggle the baby to get him to stop crying – and Jacob just stood silently and watched.

Poor Thor didn't know quite what to do. In all his travels around the galaxy he had had little to do with human – or any other kind – of children.

"Is there anything that will help, Jacob Carter?" he finally asked the one person who seemed least affected by the noise.

"No – it'll stop in a minute. It's one of the joys of having children."

Thor stared at the group and especially at the crying children for a number of seconds. He finally turned back to Jacob.

"I believe this is the first time I have been grateful for the Asgard's inability to reproduce through mitosis."

Jacob laughed. "Yeah, I hear ya! And you can be especially lucky you skip the teenage years!"

A few minutes later Jack and Sam got the children calmed down. James almost instantly began to smile and gurgle after his crying fit and began to grab Sam's hair and try to eat it.

"You little fraud," Sam laughed at him. "You're just fine, aren't you?" James gurgled in return, enjoying being held by one of his favorite people.

Beth, on the other hand, continued to cling to her father. Every few seconds she let out a pathetic whimper and sniff – still frightened by the dramatic change in location.

"If we can sit down it would be great Thor," Jack told him. "We appreciate you giving us a ride."

"It is my pleasure O'Neill." As he ushered them to the rooms he had prepared for the humans, Thor kept his eye on Beth. He seemed both fascinated and frightened by the small being who had so loudly invaded his space.

"She will not cry again, will she?" he finally asked.

"I hope not – but I can't promise. Uh – how long until we get to Earth?"

"The journey should take two of your days. I have prepared a room for all of you. I will have to see if I can find something for the children to sleep in."

Just then they arrived at the end of the corridor and the doors swooshed open. Inside the room were a number of chairs set around a large table. Off to the side were also five adult sized cots.

Jack immediately sat down on one of the chairs and rearranged Beth on his lap. By this time she had settled down, although she still looked with wide eyes at the strange environment.

"Do you have something I can give her to drink, Thor?" Jack asked. "Also maybe something to eat?"

"Yes, I arranged to have food suitable for humans and will -"

"Wait! I mean – can you not – uh – beam the food in. That might set her off again. Do it – over there," Jack gestured towards the corner behind him. "I don't want to freak her out."

Thor blinked at him a few times and then nodded. "Children are a lot of work," he commented. A moment later he had arranged for food to appear – when and where Beth wasn't looking. Although it wasn't exactly what Jack would have given to a toddler, the little girl didn't complain. All her crying had probably made her hungry.

Everyone was relaxing, with little to do until they reached Earth. Sam had fed and changed the baby and was now playing with him on the bed. Teal'c and Daniel were playing a game of cards and Jacob was dozing. Thor had gone back to his control room, content to let the humans entertain themselves. And, although he didn't say anything to Jack or the others, he also wanted to get away from the children. He didn't quite know what to make of them.

Jack had been telling stories to Beth, who was now happy and chattering. Eventually she even began to squirm and ask to get down. After a quick look around the room to make sure it was safe, Jack set her on her legs.

The tiny girl immediately started to toddle around the room – going first to Daniel and Teal'c. She tried grabbing the cards on the table, but Teal'c moved too quickly and gathered them all up.

"They are not for you Elizabeth O'Neill," he said gently.

"T" she cried, reaching out and patting his leg. She then turned and gave Daniel a big smile. "Dan'dy," she called him, leaning over and patting his knee as well.

"Hi Beth," Daniel leaned forward and picked her up and swung her above his head. She giggled and kicked her arms and legs. "Down!" she cried finally.

Daniel set the giggling girl down and she reached over and gave him a big open mouthed kiss on the cheek. "Dan'dy notty!"

Daniel laughed. "You have a real charmer here, Jack," he called to the other man, who watched with a smile on his face.

"I do indeed."

By this time Beth had turned and made her way over to Jacob. She stood and watched him solemnly for a few seconds.

"Hi Beth," the Tokra and former general said. "What are you doing?"

She canted her head at him as if considering her answer, Finally, with a big grin she patted his knee and muttered, "Da-dub." With a giggle she then turned towards Sam.

When she saw the Major she gave a little squeal and ran over to her, throwing herself into Sam's arms and giving her a big kiss.

"Whoa miss – don't squash your brother," Sam laughed. James was lying on the bed and gurgled when he saw his big sister.

"Dam'ie," she pointed to her brother. "Wittle baby!"

"Yes, he's little and you're his big sister," Sam told her. "Are you going to give him a kiss too?"

"Kiss!" Beth reached over and gently kissed her little brother – who immediately giggled and kicked his legs. "Dam'ie di'ke dat!" she said.

"Yes, he likes it when his sister kisses him," Sam told her. For the next few minutes Sam talked to the little girl while continuing to pay attention to James.

Jack watched the interaction between Sam and his two children and couldn't help but feel a strange pang in his chest. He's always known Sam would make a great mother – hell, he's known since they'd found Cassandra and Sam had risked her life to save the little girl. But knowing that, and seeing her actually interact with his children – made him yearn for things he knew he couldn't have.

He shook himself and turned away from the beautiful picture – and looked straight into the eyes of one seriously pissed off Tokra.

Jack frowned, wondering what bee had flown up Jacob's butt. As far as he knew he hadn't done anything to offend the man. So he simply blinked and raised his eyebrows.

"What?" he asked the other man.

"You know very well Jack," Jacob answered softly.

"Uh – no, I don't. You look like you're angry at me and I have no idea why."

"That's because you choose to act clueless."

"Whoa! Where did that come from? I haven't done anything to deserve that from you."

He saw Jacob clench his teeth – and a moment later his eyes flashed. The next second it was Sel'mak who was speaking.

"We are sorry, Colonel O'Neill. Jacob has no reason to be angry with you. He is simply worried about something and has taken it out on you."

"Worried about what?"

"It is a personal matter," Sel'mak answered, "and one about which you do not need to worry. Jacob will calm down shortly and then will apologize to you directly."

"Oh – okay." Jack continued to frown, wondering what this was about. Jacob usually only got mad when one of them tried to futz with Goa'uld technology, or when it had to do with his daughter. They hadn't touched Goa'uld technology and Jack had barely spoken with the Major. Mostly she'd been occupied with James.

Jack finally shrugged and turned back to watch his children play. Beth had finally slid off the bed and she was again making her way around the room.

"She is curious, O'Neill," Teal'c observed. "I believe she shall be a scientist."

"Bite your tongue Teal'c," Jack told him. "She's an _adventurer_ – just like her Daddy."

"She is indeed adventuresome," Teal'c agreed. "Let us hope she does not get into trouble as you do."

"Hey, I don't get into trouble," Jack complained. All he got for that was THE EYEBROW.

Beth made her way to the door, but Jack knew he didn't have to worry as she wouldn't be able to …

Just then the door swooshed open, and in walked Thor – right into Beth.

Jack stood up quickly, sure that Beth would again start to cry, frightened by the strange alien. But instead of reacting in fear or distress, Beth simply stepped back and regarded the little gray alien with a fierce frown on her face. She hadn't really noticed him before, too frightened by the trip. That caused Jack to stop and to simply watch.

Thor stared back at the little girl, equally fascinated by this small being who wasn't much shorter than him.

"Hello Elizabeth O'Neill," he said formally.

Beth stuck her thumb in her mouth and didn't answer, although she didn't appear frightened.

"Are you well?" Thor asked.

She pulled her thumb out and squinted at him. "Tor?" she asked.

"That is close," Thor nodded. "My name is Thor. I am of the Asgard."

Beth nodded. "Tor." She tilted her head. "Tor wittle."

Thor frowned and looked towards O'Neill. "I do not understand your daughter's words."

"Uh – she said – uh – I think – she's not used to seeing someone – uh – close to her size."

Thor blinked at him and then nodded and turned back to Beth. "Yes indeed, I am shorter than most human adults," he explained, "but our height does not correlate to our knowledge. It is simply the result -"

"Tor pway wif me?" Beth interrupted. She then reached out and grabbed the Asgard's hand and began to pull him to the center of the room.

The Supreme Commander of the Asgard fleet looked in panic at O'Neill. "What does she want?"

"Uh – she wants to play with you, Thor." It was Major Carter who answered, as Jack was grinning too widely to respond.

" _Play_? I do not understand. The Asgard do not "play"."

"Come on Thor – you need to have some fun," Jack called out. "She loves "Ring around the rosie."

"Ring … what is that?"

"Wing awon a wosie," Beth began to sing, attempting to get Thor to dance with her. After another panicked look, the little Asgard began to follow her in a circle – both of his hands held in those of the little girl.

"Hussa, hussa, aw fawl DOWN!" Beth dropped to the ground, pulling Thor with her.

At that all the humans – minus Sam who still had James – rushed over in concern for the frail looking alien.

"Are you okay Thor?" Daniel asked, kneeling down and reaching as if to help him up. Jack stood grimacing and looking guilty, while both Jacob and Thor stood by to help.

Beth was giggling and immediately stood back up. She put her hand down to Thor.

"Up Tor, up. Mow!"

"What is she saying, O'Neill?" a surprised looking Thor asked.

"Uh – she wants you to do it again."

"I see." Thor stared at the little hand being held out to him, and finally put his own in it and attempted to stand. Both Daniel and Jack helped him and he was soon on his feet again.

"I'm sorry about that Thor," Jack winced. "She didn't mean to hurt you."

"She did not." Thor took both of Beth's hands and spoke to her. "You wish to do that again?" he asked.

"Mow!" she squealed, beginning to again sing and twirl – this time with Thor as an active participant.

Jack stepped back and glanced at Daniel and then at the other adults. "Uh – are you sure you're okay Thor?"

"I am fine O'Neill. I am enjoying playing with your daughter."

Daniel let out a snort and covered his mouth which couldn't help but turn up into a grin. Sam giggled, and then pretended it was because of James. Teal'c looked serious, although his eyebrow was doing triple duty – and Jacob simply shrugged. "Who knew?" he said.

The human adults continued to enjoy watching Thor play with the little girl. Once "ring around the rosie" was done, Beth taught him to play peek-a-boo. This was followed by a game of chase – with her running away squealing and begging Thor to follow. Everyone winced when they saw him attempt to run, concerned that he would injure himself.

After a few minutes Beth grew tired and moved to her father, grasping onto his legs. She yawned and put up her arms, asking to be picked up.

"Thor tired you out, did he?" Jack asked gently. In response the toddler put her head on his shoulder. "Tor siwwy," she informed her father, with another yawn.

"Thanks Thor," Jack told his alien friend. "I think you've made a friend."

Thor blinked and actually looked uncomfortable. "Thank you. I am honored to be a friend of your daughter. I have never played with a human child before. It was – enjoyable."

Soon after that Thor left – probably exhausted by chasing around a two year old. As soon as he left, the humans all burst into fond laughter.

"That is a sight I will never forget," Daniel cried, wiping his eyes. "I wish I'd had a video camera! _Peek-a-boo_ , with the Asgard!" he began to laugh again.

"My favorite was watching him fall down for ring around the rosie," Jacob gasped, bent over in laughter. "So much for the dignity of the Asgard!"

"You people are mean," Sam told them. "That was -", she stopped and took a breath.

"That was – what – Sam?" Jack gasped out between laughs.

" … sweet!" Sam then went into peals of her own laughter. "Oh God – I didn't know the Asgard could run like that!"

It took a few minutes before everyone settled down. By this time both children were sound asleep although Thor had not as yet delivered beds for them. Jack was just about to go and ask, when the door opened again.

"I have beds for the children," Thor informed them, walking into the room. "I did not wish to frighten little Beth, so if two of you could come I will have you bring the beds here."

"Thanks Thor," Jack told him, his face serious. He didn't want Thor to feel insulted and so made sure there was no trace of laughter left. He glanced around at the others, and noticed that they were all looking equally as serious – at least all of them except Sam, whose face was purposefully turned away from Thor and focused on a sleeping James.

A few minutes later and two small cribs – Jack thought they looked more like pods – were wheeled in by Daniel and Teal'c. "Here you go," Daniel said. "There are even blankets to cover them."

"Thanks Thor," Jack smiled at the Asgard and gently laid down a sleeping Beth. "You tired her out," he said.

"She has a lot of energy," Thor agreed. "Is this typical for a human child."

"Oh yeah. And soon James will be crawling and then walking too."

"Will you have enough energy to keep up with them O'Neill?" Thor asked. "My understanding is that usually humans have children when they are younger."

"Thanks Thor! Just what I needed to hear."

Thor frowned. "I did not mean to insult you O'Neill. I am simply attempting to learn about human reproduction."

"Well, this has nothing to do with that," Jack pointed out. "As for energy – well, I hope so. I don't have much choice now. I just wish you could fix the old knees and back – at least then it would be easier to play games with them."

"Yes indeed," Thor agreed. "Playing with them requires much energy. If you wish I shall fix your knees and back to allow you to more easily play "ring around the rosie".

Everyone stared at the alien. It was Jack who finally spoke. "You can _do_ that?"

"Do what? Fix your knees and back? Yes, of course. We have technology that can help heal. We are unable to bring people back from the dead, like the Nox or a sarcophagus, but we do have advanced medical knowledge. It is simply done."

Jack glanced at each of his friends and received encouragement, shrugs and "I'd do it," from them. Finally he turned back to Thor.

"You're sure this isn't going to cause any problems?"

"Problems?" Thor frowned.

"Yeah – like me growing a second head, or a tail or something?"

"I assure you, O'Neill, that this will not result in either of those things. All it will do is heal any tissue that has been damaged in your body."

"Okay – then go for it! And hey – if there's anything else wrong you're welcome to fix it!"

A moment later a light passed over Jack's body. It took no more than five seconds and then turned off.

"That's _it_?" he asked.

"Yes, that is all that is required."

"Way to go _Thor_ ," Jack cried as he did some knee bends. "Look at that, will ya? No pain!"

For the rest of the afternoon, as the babies slept, Jack walked around the room. At one point he left, asking everyone to watch his kids, while he tried out his new knees and back through a lengthy walk through the halls of the Asgard ship.

"James is just waking up, Sir," Sam told him when he got back. "I think he needs a change."

"Oh yeah," Jack crinkled his nose as he reached to pick up a sleepy eyed little boy. "Anyone know where the diapers are?"

Once he had all the supplies needed, Jack laid the little boy on a towel on the bed and began to change him. Everyone else turned away and began to talk. Of course it was at that moment that Thor returned.

"Is there a problem?" the alien asked.

"A problem, Thor?" Sam asked. "What problem?"

"It smells strange in here. O'Neill – what are you doing?"

"Hi Thor – just changing a dirty diaper."

"A dirty diaper? How did it get dirty?"

"Uh – it was James," Jack replied. "It's a – uh – natural thing for human children. They're not old enough to know how to use a toilet, so we put diapers on them."

By this time Thor had wandered over and was regarding the baby, who was laughing and kicking his bare legs.

"That is – interesting," Thor frowned. "It does not appear to be a – pleasant – process."

"No, I guess not – but you get used to it." Jack quickly put the cloth diaper on the baby and did up his clothes. He handed James off to Daniel, who looked surprised, but took the little boy. Jack then washed his hands in the Asgard equivalent of a sink.

"It's part of being a baby, Thor," he explained a few minutes later. "They're pretty helpless, so we have to do everything for them when they're young. As they grow they become more independent."

"It appears as if you enjoy fatherhood, O'Neill," Thor commented, after Jack had told him some of the things parents were required to do for their young children.

"Yeah – I guess I do. They're precious little beings – and I love them both."

"You are fortunate," Thor said softly, looking between Beth and James.

"Yeah – I guess I am," Jack agreed.

"Although you also are fortunate," Thor clarified, "I was actually speaking of the human race. You are fortunate to be able to bear children and to raise them. It is a pleasure we gave up in search of immortality."

Jack pursed his lips and nodded. "And see – for us – our children _are_ our immortality. We live on through them."

There was a pause as Thor watched James giggle and Beth play "pat-a-cake" with Sam. With a smile he turned back towards Jack. "Then you are more fortunate than the Asgard."


	19. Home Sweet Home

_**Thank you to everyone for reviewing! I appreciate that you welcomed me back so kindly after leaving you hanging for months! I am trying to update this as quickly as I can. This story is almost done and then off to finish the others! Thank you all again!**_

"Thor just informed me that I'm close enough to the Tok'ra base to take the Tel'tak," Jacob told the others. "I guess it's time for me to go."

"Really?" Sam stood up and moved towards her father. "Are you sure Dad? You can come to Earth first."

"Sorry kiddo," he answered, putting his hands on her shoulders. "I have to get back. I've been gone long enough and the High Council is going to be pretty pissed as it is."

"Tell them from me it was worth it," Jack interjected.

"I will," Jacob chuckled. "I'm glad we found you Jack!"

Jack nodded. "I can say sincerely that I am too." He then stood, a sleeping James in his arms, and walked towards the only Tok'ra he really liked. "Thank you Jacob. I really am grateful to you for coming and getting me. And if the ole High Council gives you any grief – you can tell them where to go and just come fishin' with me!"

"Thanks Jack – I may take you up on that offer," Jacob told him. "And in the meantime - good luck with the kids. I hope everything works out for you."

"Yeah," Jack sighed, "me too. Now don't forget to write!"

Jacob chuckled again and then hugged his daughter. As he did so, he whispered in her ear, "you've got your whole career ahead of you Sam – don't blow it, okay?"

She leaned back and frowned. "What?"

"You know what I mean!" Before Sam had a chance to reply, Jacob had moved towards the door. "Good luck Sg1."

Both Daniel and Teal'c thanked him and said goodbye. A moment later Jacob Carter was gone, leaving a puzzled and somewhat irritated daughter behind. The others simply returned to what they had been doing.

"Come and sit down Carter – your father will be fine."

She turned and glanced at O'Neill. "Oh, I have no doubt of that, although there are times I'd like to shoot him myself."

Jack's eyebrows went up. "Uh – did I miss something?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "Nothing important Sir – he's simply being his usual overbearing, interfering self. God, you'd think he would have learned by now that I can take care of myself!"

"I'm sure he knows that," Jack told her, "although he will always be your father – and he's – concerned about you."

"He just thinks he knows what's best for me – and he doesn't."

"Well, don't let it worry you. He won't be back for a while and in the meantime you can do whatever you like."

"I wish that were true Sir," she sighed, moving to one of the cots and sitting down.

Jack glanced at her then, and frowned, wondering what was going on. After a second he shrugged – sometimes it was best not to know.

"How long till we're home?" Daniel suddenly asked.

"Any time now," Jack answered. "Getting bored?"

"Yeah – and hungry," the archaeologist answered. "Hey, maybe when we get back we could order some pizza!"

"Shut up Daniel," Jack told him. "Now you've got me thinkin' about pizza and I'm pretty sure Hammond isn't going to let me off the base anytime soon."

"Why not? You're fine. At least as far as I can tell."

"That's exactly the point," Jack sighed. "I've been away for a long time and they'll want to make sure I'm – me."

"I can tell him you're you," Daniel answered.

"As can I, O'Neill."

"Well, thanks …"

"Yeah – you're your usual self. _Nobody_ could imitate Jack O'Neill!"

"Except his clone," Sam pointed out.

"And there was the duplicate that was created by Harlan," Teal'c reminded them. "It was impossible to tell the difference."

"Okay fine – but they didn't _imitate_ Jack – they _were_ Jack – or sort of Jack," Daniel pointed out.

"How do we know that this Colonel isn't another duplicate?" Sam asked with a grin.

"I don't think the people on that planet had the ability to clone him," Daniel pointed out. "I suppose he could be a robot. Jack, would you cut your hand with a knife to show us you're real?"

"I will not," the Colonel replied. "I can assure you I am me – not a facsimile!"

"But how would you know, Sir," Carter argued. "Your duplicates didn't know they weren't you – so how would you know – if you weren't you." She frowned, suddenly looking slightly confused.

Jack sighed. "I'm me – although I'm sure that Hammond and Janet will want me to be checked and rechecked to make sure. I foresee many hours being poked and prodded in the Infirmary."

"Well, we'll all go have pizza while you're being tested."

"And bring me some?"

"Uh – probably not. But we will think of you while we're eating."

"Thanks!"

"What do you plan to do with your children when you return, O'Neill?" Teal'c wanted to know.

Jack sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I don't know Teal'c. I just hope they let me keep them while I figure it out."

"Surely they won't take them away from you?" Sam said, horrified.

"I hope not Major. I'll fight like hell to make sure they don't!"

A few seconds later Thor contacted them from the control room. "We have reached Earth," he told them. "I have informed General Hammond that you will be arriving shortly. O'Neill, how would you like me to proceed? I do not want to frighten little Elizabeth again."

"Thanks Thor. If you could do it now, that would be great. Both the kids are sleeping."

"I shall send you immediately," he replied.

"Uh Thor – thanks a lot for all your help!"

"It has been my pleasure, O'Neill. I have contacted another Asgard ship and together we will retrieve the stargate and transport it to the planet. We will let you know when it is working. At that time you may establish contact with the people there."

"Thanks Thor," Sam called. "We appreciate all your help."

Less than five minutes later all members of Sg1, along with two sleeping children, arrived in the gate room of the SGC.

"Welcome back Sg-1, and especially you, Colonel O'Neill." Hammond said from the control room. A moment later he was heading down the stairs into the actual gate room.

"It's good to see you, Sir," Jack said. He was unable to salute as his arms were still filled with a sleeping baby boy. Carter was carrying Beth, who was just starting to stir.

"And who are these children, Colonel O'Neill?" Hammond frowned. Thor had mentioned them, but hadn't given any details.

"Well, I'm afraid it's a bit of a long story, Sir," Jack responded. "They're – uh – mine."

" _Yours_?" Hammonds eyebrows ascended and he looked carefully at each child. Finally he sighed and shook his head. "I have a feeling this is going to turn into a headache," he confessed. "Well, I look forward to hearing the full story," he said dryly. "In the meantime head to the Infirmary – and take the children with you. You'll all need to be checked out."

"Oh joy," muttered O'Neill. "Uh yes Sir," he gave a two finger salute and turned towards the door, missing the slight chuckle of his commanding officer.

"Hey Janet," Jack called as he entered the Infirmary. The petite doctor whirled around. "Colonel O'Neill! Oh my Sir – it's so good to see you!" She moved quickly towards the Colonel, frowning slightly when she saw what he was carrying. She then glanced at Major Carter and the child she was holding.

"Uh Sir – who are these children?"

"They're mine Doc – at least I kind of – adopted them."

In the end, all of Sg-1 and the children were put through a battery of tests. Although Jack had been missing the longest, all of them had been gone long enough to require extensive testing.

Both of the children managed it quite well (although both cried when having their blood taken), since they remained at all times with either the Colonel or one of his teammates. Janet had helped by bringing them a few toys to play with. She gave a teething ring to James, which he instantly started to chew.

"Uh Doc – how come you have toys?"

"Well, this isn't the first time we've seen kids come through the gate. I thought it would be a good idea to have a few things just in case."

"I'm impressed," Jack told her.

"Well then, my day is complete," she grinned.

"So, how'm I doing Janet?" Jack asked as he buttoned his shirt. Beth was holding Sam's hand and was walking up and down the corridor, a teddy bear clutched tightly in her other hand.

"You look just fine Sir – a bit underweight, but that should sort itself out with a few good.."

"…pizzas," Jack interjected.

Janet laughed. "Yes Sir, pizzas will help – but don't forget to eat healthy food as well

"I know, I know Mom!" he said, causing Janet to laugh. "How about the kids?" he finally asked.

"They're both healthy, Sir," she told him. "We should schedule them for their vaccinations as soon as possible – I just figured it was too much to do today. In the meantime I'd avoid taking them out too much. They may not have a strong immunity to Earth diseases yet."

"Okay, thanks Doc. I'm glad they're healthy though. They had it a bit rough!"

"I look forward to hearing about it Sir. It's good to have you back! We were worried that you were gone for good."

"Yes, well I'm glad to _be_ back. So, Doc, are you going to keep me?"

"In the Infirmary," Janet laughed. "I don't see a reason to, Sir. Everything checks out and I'm sure you're anxious to get home after being away so long."

"Yes, very anxious," Jack told her. "My own bed, Guinness and the Simpsons - heaven!"

"What about the children Sir," Janet asked as she looked at the two small beings Jack had brought back with him. Sam was still walking around with Beth, while Daniel was holding a James, who was still chewing on the teething ring – although he was beginning to look sleepy.

"I have to talk to the General to see whether I can take them home with me."

"But do you have any supplies?"

Jack scowled but shook his head. "No, I'll have to go out and buy stuff right away."

"Sir, why don't you go and see the General and I'll look into getting what you need. That way, if you can take them with you, you'll be prepared."

"And if I can't?"

"Well, we'll still need the things here. I have a bit of formula on hand, but we'll need more, as well as diapers, etc. Don't worry Sir. I'll look into it for you."

"Thank you Janet," he said, hopping off the table. "I take everything back!"

She laughed and shook her head. "Oh, I'm sure you'll think the same things the next time I have to give you a needle."

He sighed. "Everyone's always pokin' me full of holes!"

Jack gathered his team – all of whom were finished their physicals – and headed up to the briefing room. One of the nurses had found and cleaned a bottle and James was sucking on it madly. Poor little kid, thought Jack. He wondered if he missed being nursed by Rumina. She had almost become a mother to him.

He sighed again as he walked to the briefing room. He wondered, for the hundredth time, if he'd make a mistake bringing the kids. He was sure that if he had insisted that someone – probably Rumina and Lukos, would have taken them.

"Danny, want me to take him?" Jack asked.

Daniel looked up, startled. "What? No, he's fine," he answered, looking down at the happily eating baby. Daniel grinned. "He's doing fine with his Uncle Daniel."

"Yes he is," Jack nodded, realizing once again how lucky he was in his friends. "Carter?"

"Beth if fine with me Sir," she answered.

"I guess I'm just not needed," he sighed dramatically – which garnered nothing more than grins from his two science geeks and a raised eyebrow from Teal'c.

They were barely seated before General Hammond entered and took a seat. "Okay Colonel, Sg-1. I'd like to hear everything that happened – and I especially want to hear about these children."

So began a long briefing. Jack began by telling his story – of how he landed on the planet (they'd have to come up with a name pretty soon), his journey and finding the children, and finally getting to know the villagers and helping them defeat the remaining Jaffa.

"So you're telling me the Asgard are going to put a gate on this planet?"

"Yes Sir. They'll let us know when it's ready and then we can begin trade negotiations with the villagers."

"And you believe there's a substantial amount of Nacquada there?"

"Yes Sir," answered Sam. "From what the people themselves said, and from my analysis, the planet is rich in Nacquada. It's a great find Sir."

"That's excellent folks. Well done!"

"Thank you Sir. It was my incredible foresight that made this all possible."

That gained another raised eyebrow – this from the General.

"Well – now we have to figure out about the two children."

"Elizabeth and James, Sir. I – uh – named them after my parents."

"I see. And you say they had no relatives on the planet?"

"No Sir. They were orphans."

"And there was no one willing to take them? I would have thought it would have been better for them to remain with their people."

"Well – that was my plan General," Jack explained. "But before I left I was told that no one was willing to take them. They were all pretty poor and with everything changing – they didn't feel they had the resources."

"And you agreed with them?"

Jack scratched his nose and looked pensive. Before he had a chance to speak, however, Daniel broke in.

"They wanted Jack to keep the children General. They could see that he loved them and they adore him. They'd already lost one set of parents and everyone agreed that Jack was the best person to look after them."

"Jack?" Hammond looked at him curiously. "Are you prepared to raise two young children? And if so, how are you planning to do that with your job?"

"I don't know Sir," Jack answered. "Like I said, I planned to leave them on the planet. But when I was told no one would take them – well, I brought them with me. I haven't really had a chance to even think about it."

Hammond took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm giving everyone a two week leave. It's been a long and stressful time for everyone. Jack – you'll need to figure out what you're going to do in that time and tell me when you get back."

"Thank you Sir. Uh – what about the children?"

"As long as Dr. Frasier has said they're healthy, then you can take them with you. I suspect you will need to purchase some things for them?"

"Yes I will, although Dr. Frasier is collecting some things for me."

"Good! Well then – enjoy your time off everyone – and if I didn't say this before – good job everyone. Thanks for finding and bringing home Colonel O'Neill."

"So, you can take them home Colonel," Sam said. By now Beth had asked to go to her father and was almost asleep on Jack's shoulder. James was getting fussy – obviously tired and ready for a nap.

"Yes Carter. God – what was I thinking!" he sighed. "I'm really too old for this."

"No you're not Sir. You're doing a great job. And Teal'c, Daniel and I are going to help you!"

And help they did. With Janet collecting a bunch of stuff (and arranging to have some things dropped off at Jack's place) and with the rest of Sg-1 helping, Jack was able to make it home with the two children.

He walked into the house and took a deep breath. "Ah, home sweet home!"


	20. Decision

It took him a few days to get everything set up and to get settled in. It felt strange to be back on Earth and back in his house. He'd forgotten how wonderful it was to have modern conveniences!

The children seemed to settle in even quicker than did he. They were a bit fussy the first night, but after that settled in well. Janet (and Dave Dixon and his wife) had come through with all the necessary supplies for a toddler and a baby although over the course of the first week he had picked up a number of other items.

It had also helped that his teammates were with him every step of the way. Daniel had offered to sleep over the first few nights and both Teal'c and Sam came daily. The children loved them and loved the attention they got.

Both of the kids seemed to especially love Sam. They both wanted to snuggle with her when they were tired and loved playing with her. She was a natural, and watching her with them gave Jack a pang – a pang he refused to think about too closely.

He was still no closer to knowing what to do then before. He really wasn't ready to retire, but at the same time knew he couldn't keep doing his job with two young children to care for. His was too dangerous a job and he was often off world days at a time.

He thought about hiring a live-in nanny, but still didn't like the thought of leaving them when on missions. And what if something happened to him? They'd be alone again.

He sighed as he sat and pretended to watch TV. Both the kids were down for a nap, and Sam and Teal'c had decided to take the opportunity to go out and grocery shop for him.

He wasn't quite sure what he was going to do when they went back to work. Could he really handle things on his own? Did he even _want_ to handle things on his own? Maybe a nanny was a good idea.

He'd spoken to the General a few times about the children – wanting to make sure that no one (the NID came to mind) would try and take them away from him.

Since it was clear that they were both 100% human, the NID had expressed no interest. Other than that, Hammond told him there was no urgency to contact anyone. He'd already informed the Pentagon and they were fine with letting Hammond deal with the issue (although they informed him they _really_ didn't want to lose Colonel O'Neill).

So Jack had a decision to make and it was killing him. Just then the doorbell rang.

"Hey Jack!" Daniel stood at the doorway, a package in his hand.

"Daniel. To what do I owe this pleasure?" He motioned the other man inside.

"I got some kids books for you," he said, handing Jack the package. "Beth loves to be read to so I figured you needed some new ones."

"Thanks Danny! Yeah, I'm getting a little tired of 'Goodnight Moon', although she loves it."

"It's a classic! I brought some other favorites for you. I'm sure you'll enjoy them," he grinned.

"Thanks! You want a beer?"

The two men settled in the living room, Jack with his feet up on the coffee table. He took a swig of beer and then regarded his friend.

"So – you want to say something?" he asked.

"What? Can't a guy just come over to shoot the breeze? And anyway, I've been here practically every day."

"Yes you have – and I appreciate it. But right now you have that look."

"What look?"

"The – I want to talk about feelings, look."

"I don't have that look!"

"Yes you do Daniel. So spill – what do you want to say?"

Daniel sighed and put his beer down. He then looked at Jack for a moment. "Look, I don't want to interfere –"

Jack's eyebrow went up at that, and he took another sip.

"All right," Daniel said defensively. "I guess I am interfering – in a way. But I only want to help."

"I know Daniel. So say it!"

"I just – wondered if you knew what you were going to do?"

"Do?"

"Come on Jack – don't play dumb. About the children."

Jack sighed again and pursed his lips. "I don't know."

"Why not?"

"Because it's not an easy decision. I love them – you know that – but I don't know if I'm what they need. I keep thinking I'm being selfish by even considering keeping them."

"Why selfish?"

"Because they could go to a family – a couple – who will love them."

"But you love them."

"But I'm not a couple. I'm just a crusty old soldier. What can I do for them? They'd be better off with someone younger – with a mom and a dad."

"I think they're best off with someone who loves them utterly – someone who is a wonderful father and who would give them the best life he could. I think they'd be lucky to have you in their lives."

Jack let out another breath and closed his eyes briefly. 'Thanks Daniel – but you're biased."

"No, I'm not. If I thought it was better for them to go to a couple, I'd tell you so. Since when have I lied to you Jack? Since when have I told you what I thought you wanted to hear, rather than what I felt you should hear?"

"That's true," Jack chuckled softly. "You're my conscience."

Daniel looked flustered at that. "No – I'm just too opinionated for my own good!"

"There's that," Jack nodded.

"But I'm speaking the truth now. I truly believe the children should stay with you. Jack – you're wonderful with children and they really couldn't do better than you."

"But – I'll practically be in an old folks home by the time they graduate from high school!"

"You're in great shape – and you've spent enough time in a sarcophagus and in Thor's little healing pod to have dealt with any serious health threats. You'll live to a hundred!'

Jack snorted. "Can't say as I liked being a hundred years old. Prostrate you know!"

Daniel chuckled and took a swig of beer. "So?"

"So?"

"Are you going to keep them?"

"I don't know Daniel. I appreciate you saying – what you did – but even if I did think I was the best one for them – there's also the issue of my career."

"You don't want to give it up?"

"No. I'm not ready yet – at least not quite. I thought I'd have a few years left. I don't know if I'm ready to be home all day, even if I would enjoy the kids. God – I just don't know!"

"Well, why don't you think what your life would be in – say – five years, both if you kept them and if you gave them up? See how you feel about your choice then."

"In five years?"

"Mmm hmm." Daniel stood up. "I should go – I just wanted to stop by and see if you'd reached a decision but I don't want to bug you."

"You didn't bug me Daniel. I appreciate you dropping by. And – I'll let you know as soon as I know."

He walked Daniel to the door and waited in the doorway until his friend had driven off. He then returned to his living room and sat down slowly.

So – five years. He closed his eyes and thought about what life would be like if he gave up the children.

He probably wouldn't still be going through the gate. It was time for the younger ones to be off adventuring. So, he'd probably be at a desk job.

He then imagined himself coming home after a grueling day of – paper. He entered his house – and it was exactly the same as it was now. Except in his dream the toys and children's things were gone and everything was quiet – completely quiet.

It hadn't been too long since that was a reality every day in his house – but now – there was usually the chatter of two children and the voices of his friends who visited frequently. It suddenly dawned on him that he hadn't missed the quiet or the aloneness of his previous existence.

Just then, another thought popped into his mind. If it was like that in five years, what would it be like when Daniel and Sam and Teal'c – when they were gone. Because they too would go in different directions, wherever the Air Force took them. Sg-1 wouldn't survive forever.

And he'd be left, alone and lonely, with no family, no one to carry on the family name.

And what about his cabin? He would have no one to leave it to when he died. It had been passed down in the O'Neill family for four generations (at least the land had) and now he would have to contemplate willing it away to strangers.

"Okay – so now I know what it will be like if I give them up – but what will it be like _with_ them?"

He imagined a house full of toys and books and dogs and cats and other creatures. He pictured each of his children bringing home friends, and the rooms echoing with the laughter of children. He thought of packing lunches, of dealing with teenagers, with running kids to this lesson and that game.

It would be a crazy life, especially as a single parent. He would rarely have peace or quiet – but he also wouldn't be bored.

And the best thing of all …. he would be loved.

In the end, there really was no other choice to be made.

He picked up the phone and called General Hammond.


	21. New Direction

_**Sorry - the site was fuzzing so I had to remove and repost a couple of chapters!**_

He felt a real sense of loss as he made his way down the elevator. He'd finally made his decision, and he hoped it was the right one. But that didn't make what he had to do any easier.

He walked slowly down the hallway and finally stopped outside the General's door. A soft knock, and he was told to enter.

"Jack, come in."

"Thank you for seeing me Sir."

"Of course. I assume this is about the children?"

"Yes Sir, it is."

"Well have a seat. I've told Walter to clear my schedule, so I'm all yours."

"Thank you." Jack sat for a moment, knowing that the next few minutes were going to change his life. He only hoped it would be for the better.

"I've decided to keep the kids Sir. I'm afraid it means I'm going to retire – again."

"I see. And you're sure about this?"

"No – not at all. I mean, I'm sure I want to keep the kids – they're – the best thing that's happened to me since I lost Charlie -", he paused and took a breath.

"I sense there's a "but" Colonel."

"Yes, and a big but Sir."

Hammond couldn't help but grin – which drew an answering laugh from Jack, although it soon died and he grew serious again.

"I hate the thought of giving up the SGC. I've – this has been an amazing ride and I wasn't quite ready to go."

"And you can't have both," the General said, and it was a statement rather than a question.

"No. I can't see myself going on off-world missions when I have two young children to look after. And it's dangerous work. I mean, what if something happened to me?'

"I understand. It's difficult enough for the men and women who are married or have a partner. I admire you for the decision."

"Yeah – I know that it's the right thing to do, and having the kids – it's great. I just wish -" he left the rest unsaid. "But there is one thing Sir. Do you think I'll have trouble adopting them?"

"No Colonel, you won't. Actually Jack, if you hadn't called me I was going to call you. I received word from Thor and it's something that concerns you."

"Me? Really? What did the little guy have to say?"

"Well, it appears the Asgard managed to deliver a gate to P3X 393."

"Uh – P3X -"

"The planet you were on."

"Oh – so it has a designation already?"

"The Asgard work fast."

"All right – so what does that have to do with me adopting the kids?"

"Well, it turns out that the people of the planet have requested that you be the representative from Earth to arrange a trade agreement. They've indicated that Dr. Jackson would also be welcome."

"That's good Sir – but will they take just Daniel if I retire?"

"We'll talk about that in a minute. But the other thing you should know is that the representatives from the planet –a man names Solon and a woman by the name of Phoebe -"

"Two of the elders."

"Yes – well they indicated that they have given permanent guardianship of the two children to you and any attempt to remove them from you will cause them to shut down negotiations. They really want you to have those children."

Jack slowly smiled, wondering who put that in the elder's heads. He hadn't really said anything to them, and suspected one of his team. "That's great Sir – so…?

"So Washington has agreed and your adoption will be expedited. In the meantime they are under your legal guardianship."

"Wow – that was easy."

"Yes it was. It helps when there's naquada as a bargaining tool! Now, as for the other – Jack, I have an offer for you, and I hope you'll accept."

Jack was whistling as he made his way up the elevator. What a difference a couple of hours had made. He should have known that General Hammond and Thor – and probably his team – would come through for him.

The journey back to his house was much different than the trip to the SGC. Now he was excited (and frankly also terrified) about adopting the kids. He expected that his future was not going to be boring. Oh, he would miss being part of Sg-1 – but at least now he had something to look forward to as far as work was concerned.

He pulled up to his house – grinning when he saw both Daniel and Sam's cars there. Sam had agreed to babysit, but it looked as if Daniel had come for a visit.

"Howdy campers," he called as he walked in the door. He heard a squeal and down the hall came Beth, toddling on increasingly steady legs.

"DA!" She cried, throwing her arms around his legs. He reached and picked her up and gave her a kiss.

"How's my precious?"

"Hi Da! Ays a good girl!"

"You are, are you? I'll have to ask Auntie Sam if that's true!'

She giggled and rubbed her nose with his. "Auntie Sam!" she called, "ays good girl!"

"She was indeed Sir," Sam told him as he walked into the living room. He grinned to see Daniel and Teal'c on the floor, playing with James, who was sitting up and grabbing and throwing plastic blocks.

"And James?" he asked with a smile.

"He has discovered throwing, O'Neill," Teal'c told him. "And he does not seem to tire of it."

"He's persistent," Jack told him, with pride.

"How did everything go, Sir?" Sam asked, smiling at Beth. None of them had any idea of his plan to retire – he'd avoided telling them. Although things had turned out better than he'd hoped, he was still dreading telling them.

"Just fine Carter," he said. "Hey, isn't it time for naps?"

"I'm not tired Jack," Daniel whined.

Teal'c lifted his eyebrow. "I believe Daniel Jackson could do with a time out. He is getting fussy."

Everyone laughed, except Daniel, who stuck out his tongue. "Since James is the only one who treats me with respect, I'll get him ready." He picked up James, who immediately blew a raspberry, causing everyone to laugh again.

"Et tu James," Daniel said with a grin. "Come on young man – time for a nap!"

Jack followed with Beth and a few minutes later both children were in bed. James fell asleep almost instantly, while they left Beth talking to her teddy bear. Jack knew that she'd soon be asleep like her brother.

"Whew," Jack collapsed on the couch. "Why did no one warn me that two young kids will wear you out?"

"How come _you're_ worn out? We've been looking after them all afternoon," Daniel pointed out.

"Yes, but you weren't here last night, when James decided to cry for what seemed like hours. Teething," he explained.

"I'm sorry Sir – that's rough." How did things go at the base? Did you find out about the kids?"

"Yes, and it's good news. It seems as if the Asgard came through and the gate is almost up and running. He also brought news from the planet."

"Really? What is it?"

"Well, it seems like the locals are saying they will only deal with me and Daniel."

"We knew that already," Daniel pointed out.

"Yes – but they also added that the children were to be mine – or they wouldn't deal with Earth. I'm wondering how they even knew to say that?" he looked expectantly at his team – all of whom avoided looking at him.

"It was Sam's idea," Daniel finally broke. "We figured that someone – the NID or an over zealous social worker might give you a hard time – so we spoke to Oya and Rumina and they said they'd figure something out."

"Was this before or after Rumina and Lukos said they couldn't take the children?" he asked.

This time no one admitted a thing, although he had his suspicions. He chuckled softly. "Thanks," he said. "I don't know if this is the best thing for the kids – but I know it's the best thing that's happened to me in a long time."

"You're a great Dad, Sir," Sam said. "They're lucky to have you. How long will it take for everything to go through?"

"Not long, Major. The paperwork is being done as we speak. By the end of the month I should be able to adopt them – in the meantime I'm their legal guardian."

"That's great Jack!"

"That is indeed wonderful, O'Neill. As Major Carter has said, you will be a fine father and role model for the children."

"I don't know about "role model", Teal'c. I think that had better be us," Daniel told them.

"That is true, Daniel Jackson. I shall teach them to be a strong warrior, you shall teach them the history and languages of the galaxy, Samantha Carter will teach them all about the wonders of science."

There was a pause, until finally Jack broke it. "Hey – what about me?"

All three of his teammates looked at him. It was Sam who first answered. "You'll teach them to be strong and brave -"

" – to fight for what's right," Daniel continued.

" – to be a loyal friend and a great leader -" Sam continued.

" – to love unconditionally," Teal'c finished softly. The silence was loud, broken only by Jack – obviously embarrassed – clearing his throat.

"Uh guys, that was -"

"Of course he'll also teach them to like the Simpsons -" Sam said.

"- and hockey _and_ to insult bad guys – and get us all in trouble," added Daniel.

Teal'c was silent, so everyone turned and looked at him.

"I have nothing more to say," he indicated.

"That's my Teal'c," said Jack with a grin. "See guys – he can't think of anything bad to say cause he's my _friend_."

"Indeed. He shall do well with the children, for he is much like them."

Everyone laughed.

"Thanks buddy!" Jack said, although a moment later he grinned. Once everyone had calmed down, however, he knew it was time to tell them.

"Uh guys, there's something else I have to tell you."

"What is it O'Neill?"

"I thought long and hard about this – but I've decided that with the children I can no longer be part of Sg-1. I told the General today that I wanted to retire."

"What? No Sir – you can't," Sam cried out. "What will we do without you?"

"She's right Jack, you can't retire. We need you out there!"

"You are our leader O'Neill. You must continue to help us fight the Goa'uld."

"Thanks guys – I appreciate the sentiments – but the truth is, it's not fair to the children. I'd be gone half the time and I'd be in danger. I need to be here, with them. But don't think this is something that I wanted. It was an extremely tough decision and – I'll miss - being part of the team."

This time the silence was filled with sadness, rather than laughter. None of Jack's teammates attempted to argue with him, since it was clear he'd made up his mind. They also understood the need for him to stay home with his children.

"I don't know what we'll do without you, Sir," Sam finally said, a break in her voice.

"You'll do just fine without me Carter. I'm not indispensible and you're a helluva soldier and leader. And Daniel and Teal'c – well, they're both great warriors and you'll all do fine."

"But what will you do, Jack?" Daniel asked. "How can you give it all up?"

"Well, the truth is, I'm not," Jack told him with a small smile. "General Hammond wouldn't let me retire . Instead he offered me a new job."

"Really? What is it?" Daniel frowned, not happy but knowing there was little they could do to change Jack's mind.

"Well, I'm going to be the liaison with the Asgard – that was Thor's request by the way – and I'll be doing the negotiations, with Daniel, for the naquada on P3X 393."

"P3X 393?" Teal'c asked, looking puzzled.

"Yeah – that's the planet's designation." He frowned. "I'll have to tell them to name the damn place. It's irritating just calling it "the planet" and I hate using the official designation. Anyway, I'll be doing those things – but mostly I'm going to be teaching."

There was dead silence – only Teal'c's eyebrow gave indication that anyone had heard him. It was Daniel that broke the silence.

" _Teaching_?" he said in amazement. "What – where – _teaching_?"

"Yes Daniel – teaching. I'm been asked to teach at the academy. I'm going to head the training program for recruits assigned to the SGC. Up until now people going off-world received pretty much the same training as Earth forces – barring a couple of weeks at the end - and it's the feeling of people in DC that there's a need for more specialized training. I have to start by developing the program – and 'll need your help."

"But _teaching_?" Daniel said again.

"Why do you sound so shocked?" Jack asked, starting to get irritated. "Don't you think I know enough to teach a bunch of recruits?"

"Well – yes, but I didn't think you'd _want_ to _teach_! I mean – you're an action kind of guy."

"True – but I'm also perfectly capable of teaching and it will be much easier to go home everyday to the kids. And anyway – it's not like there won't be action."

"Will you get to go off-world?" Sam asked. She looked slightly stunned and Jack wasn't sure whether she believed he could do this. He started to feel slightly hurt at the attitude of his teammates.

"Sometimes," he said. "I'll retain my security status and George said I'll be able to travel through the gate on diplomatic missions."

" _Diplomatic – you?"_

"Daniel – for God's sake! Do you think I'm incapable of doing _anything?"_

"We know you can Sir," Sam suddenly turned to him, realizing how they must have sounded. "It's not that we doubt you – it's just not something I think any of us thought you would want to do. I'm sure you'll be a great teacher."

"No you don't," he grinned. "But I'll prove you wrong, you know. I think it will be kind of fun."

" _Fun?"_ Daniel shook his head. "You're sure you know what you're doing?"

"I'm sure Daniel. Look – I didn't plan on leaving Sg-1 – it wasn't what I wanted. But this will enable me to keep on with the program and to make a difference. It probably wouldn't have been very long before I would have had to retire anyway. Going through the gate all the time is best left to those younger than me."

"You have a lot of years left in you for gate travel, Sir," Sam told him, "but I'm happy for you. I think you'll be an amazing teacher. Maybe we'll come and watch you teach sometime."

"Actually – I've already suggested to Hammond that each of you come and do some classes. Together we can really train those recruits!"

"Hey, I could start teaching Goa'uld and Ancient languages," Daniel suddenly decided. "And I could explain the customs and history of other planets and how to read ancient texts. This could be fun, Jack."

"Yes, it could. And Teal'c can teach fighting techniques and Jaffa jokes!"

"I do not believe that humans have enough of a sense of humor to appreciate Jaffa jokes, O'Neill."

"Okay – sure," Jack nodded. "And what about you Carter? In for teaching some really hard techno – uh – stuff?"

"Sure Sir," she grinned. "I'm always up for teaching – stuff!"

"Good, good – it's all decided!"

"So, Professor Jack O'Neill," Daniel shook his head. "I guess miracles _do_ happen! When do you start?"

"I'll start in September, with the new class of recruits. That gives me the summer to get the kids, and the program organized. I'll still need to find child care or a nanny – but at least I'll come home every night."

"And, what about us Sir?" Sam asked. "Will we join another team?"

Jack looked at her seriously, thinking about how much he was going to miss her – at least he was going to miss going on missions with her. Hopefully he'd still see her – and Daniel and Teal'c of course. "Hammond will discuss it with all of you when you're done your leave. And whatever he decides – I know you'll all do just fine. I'll miss you – but you're the best damn team I've ever had."

"But we'll still come for team nights Jack, right?"

"Of course!"

"And you still plan to make us godparents for your children," Teal'c informed him.

"Uh – yeah, sure," answered Jack – although frankly it wasn't something he'd even given a thought to before. He wondered how Teal'c had gotten the idea. But now that he'd mentioned it … "Of course!" he said again. There's no one I'd rather have as godparents then the three of you!"

The rest of the afternoon was spent reminiscing about their time together as a team. After a while, however, Daniel started making recommendations for the new recruit program. Soon all four of them were arguing about what the program should include - and what could be left out. When Jack suggested that he really didn't think they needed a course on archaeology, he was sure Daniel was going to explode. God – he was going to miss tormenting Daniel on a regular basis.

When the children finally woke up from their naps the adults all decided to take them to the local playground – not wanting to give up their time together. After returning to Jack's they ordered pizza and played with the children until it was time for them to go to bed.

It wasn't until late that his team – his former team, he thought sadly – all left to go home. He stood at the door until they had all driven away, and then slowly closed it and shut off the exterior lights.

It had been a great day, he decided, but now he was feeling sad and maudlin. As happy as he was not to have to leave the program completely, he knew his life was now going to be much different. The worst part was that he was no longer part of the team that had become like family.

He sighed and returned to his living room, stopping to pick up one of James' blocks on the way. He chuckled as he looked at it – tossing it up and catching it. As sad as he was, he couldn't forget that he once more had a family.

Life wasn't perfect … but it was damned good.


	22. Epilogue

_**Epilogue**_

"Da!"

"Well hello young man," Jack swung James up into his arms. "And how have you been today?"

James giggled and leaned forward so that his forehead was touching Jack's. "Twuck!"

"You played with your truck, did you? I hope you were a good boy for Rhea."

"He was a good boy Daddy," Beth ran to him and he knelt down and put his free arm around her. "I wooked after him!"

"You did? Wow, what amazing children I have!" Jack scooped up Beth and stood carefully, both children in his arms. He walked to the living room, to see Rhea, the children's nanny, just putting away some toys.

"They were very good today, Colonel," she smiled. "Although Beth didn't want to take a nap," she said sternly, although her eyes twinkled.

"What's this, Miss Mouse," Jack asked sternly. "Were you giving Rhea a hard time about your nap?"

"NAP!" cried James loudly. He was picking up words on a daily basis.

"Ays din't give Whea a hawd time," Beth told him, fiercely.

"She did eventually fall asleep, but I think she was over excited," Rhea explained.

"About tomorrow?" Jack asked softly.

Rhea nodded, "It's all she talked about."

"Well, it's probably early to bed tonight then," he told the nanny, to the accompanying protests from the children. "Everything else okay?"

"Yes, everything's fine. I fed the kids and left you some dinner in the refrigerator – you just have to heat it up. If that's everything, Colonel, I think I'll head out."

"Sure Rhea – and thanks. Have a great weekend and I'll see you Monday."

He'd found Rhea through a Nanny agency – and she had turned out to be a jewel. The kids adored her – she was loving, yet made them mind. She was also flexible and could stay over if ever he had to be away for a few days. He didn't go through the gate nearly as much as before, but with the ongoing trade negotiations with Oikos (the name meant home, according to Daniel) as well as field trips with his students, he did get to go on the occasional off-world trip.

He enjoyed it, although he was always glad to be able to come home to his family.

The two children had brought a richness – and love - to his life that had been lacking for many years. Every day was an adventure with the two of them (one without fear of capture, torture or death) and most days were a joy. He would have said every day, but then he remembered when all of them came down with the stomach flu at the same time.

His teammates (and he was going to continue to call them that) were still very much a part of his life and now, the lives of the children. They came as regularly as they could – at least when they were on Earth.

Hammond had made Sam the Sg-1 team leader, but as yet they still only had three members. He knew Hammond was trying to find a fourth, but it was difficult. Finding the right person was going to be hard. Jack was pretty sure he'd hate it when that happened.

As he grabbed himself a bite to eat – while both children sat in their highchairs eating a snack, he thought about the next day and the weekend ahead. He'd arranged a trip to the zoo for all of them and he wasn't sure who was more excited, Beth or Teal'c.

He laughed when he thought of his friend, the big tough (teddy bear inside) Jaffa. Beth and James both had him wrapped around their little fingers. He wondered if Teal'c would ever consider having more children. With him and Ishta as parents – God, could the universe handle their offspring?

Daniel was also a favorite uncle and often read books or told stories to the children. They liked to climb all over him, and drag him to the playground. It was good for Daniel to get away from intellectual activities and just – be a child. Jack sometimes wondered if he enjoyed the children so much because it allowed him to recapture his lost childhood.

And then there was Sam. Of course the kids adored her too. Who wouldn't, a little voice asked him. She was – amazing. He'd known she was amazing as his 2IC – but she was even more amazing as a woman, a person. She was wonderful with the kids – all five of them! She was smart, tough, did a great job watching out for her team – and was just generally a _good_ person.

And she'd recently started calling him Jack.

It had felt strange at first – they'd always been so careful to observe the rules and protocol. She always treated him with the utmost respect, even when she had, on the odd occasion, teased him. There had always been a formality about the way she treated him though – a formality that was beginning to disappear.

Jack shook his head and finished putting away the dishes. He then unstrapped both kids from the highchairs and let them run around. James had been walking for a couple of months now – and he was already pretty good at keeping up with this sister.

He settled down on his chair, watching the children play on the floor in front of him. He was pleasantly tired. It had been a busy – but rewarding – week. He hadn't said much to his team, but he had discovered that he really liked teaching. And what was even better – he found out he was good at it. He'd had some doubts, especially being around Daniel and Sam, his two geniuses, but at the end of the day he'd found that he was not only competent, but that he had a gift for teaching others.

Did he still miss the days of going through the gate with his team? Of course, although he was so busy, between the program and his children, that he didn't have a lot of time to think about it. He'd decided that the most difficult thing about not going through the gate was that he worried about his friends. He knew he'd suffer if anything ever happened to them and he wasn't there to save them.

It was later that night – once the kids were in bed – that he again thought about Sam. Stop it O'Neill, he told himself. She's just a really good friend!

They all had a great time the next day at the zoo. The kids loved it, although James fell asleep and missed the entire Africa section. Beth loved everything, but had caused some embarrassment when she had pointed to the bull elephant – who was in a rather amorous and very obvious state of arousal. In the end they'd been saved by Sam, who'd diverted her attention to the baby elephant.

Jack had to admit that he'd almost lost it, however, when he'd seen Teal'c's eyebrow go up at the sight. If Sam hadn't been there (or the children) he would have made some inappropriate jokes at his friend's expense. As it was he had to hold it inside.

By the end of the day they were all tired. They ordered food at Jack's place, but they all decided to call it an early night– all of them except Sam, who was finishing up washing the dishes.

"Hey, you don't have to do that Carter," he told her after saying goodbye to Daniel and Teal'c and returning to the kitchen. "I can do it."

"It's okay Sir – uh –Jack. I don't mind." She reached up to put away the plates.

Jack felt a bit strange. Sam seemed rather uncomfortable, but he couldn't put his finger on what was wrong. They'd had a great day – she'd laughed and joked with him and had been great with the kids.

"By the way – thanks," he said suddenly.

She glanced at him and frowned, but then turned away to continue drying the dishes. "What for?"

"Oh – for the elephant. I didn't know quite what to say."

He could tell that she was grinning, even though she was turned away from him. "No problem Sir. It was – quite funny actually. You should all have seen your faces. I thought Teal'c's eyebrows were going to fly over his head and I was positive Daniel had swallowed his tongue! And then there was you!"

"Me?" he asked defensively.

"Your face resembled a beet!" she laughed.

"Well – it's not something I want to have to explain to a 2 year old!" he defended himself.

The discussion had loosened up the atmosphere somewhat, but there was still something off. He didn't know whether to say anything, but then realized he didn't know _what_ to say.

"So, do you have any plans for tomorrow?" he finally asked.

She glanced at him quickly – looked at him for a second – and then resumed drying a plate. "Uh – no, nothing. I'm just – taking it easy."

"Good – that's good."

"What about you?" she asked then.

"Me? Oh – just playing with the kids. I have to go out and buy some new clothes for Beth – she keeps growing out of everything. Other than that I'll probably just take them to the park or something. I tell you – I worried that I'd get out of shape after giving up gate travel – but I think I'm in better shape than I have been for years!"

"Yes, dealing with toddlers is a lot of work."

"But I love it," he grinned.

She smiled back at him, but her smile was soon gone. "I'm happy for you Jack – and I can tell you're happy too."

"I am," he nodded. "They've – well, let's just say they're the best. I'd forgotten how great it was to have children around."

"Yes – it must be. I'm happy for you." She paused. "Is it eno -" she stopped suddenly and looked away again.

He frowned. "Is it – what Carter?"

"Nothing – I'm just – nothing. Well," she said, putting down the tea towel, "I guess I'd better get going. Thanks again for a great day Jack," she said. "It was fun."

He continued to frown, wondering what was going on. He was sure she had been going to ask if it was "enough". But enough _what_? "Sam?" he tried to ask, but all he got was a quick smile and then she was walking to the door.

"Thanks again! Have a great week Sir – Jack," she smiled. "I still forget sometimes that we're not in the same chain of command any longer," she told him, with a strangely expectant look.

"Uh – yeah – me too," he answered, still confused by her manner. Her sudden frown at his words startled him. What the hell was wrong with her?

"Sam, is everything okay?" he asked suddenly.

"Of course Jack," she laughed. "Why wouldn't it be. Well, enjoy your week and give the kids a kiss for me. I'll miss them."

"Are you going somewhere?"

"No – but – no. I just – don't want to presume. I mean – you have a different life now, and I'm sure you don't want your old 2IC here all the time."

He frowned again – feeling completely off kilter. "Of course I do Carter! I mean – you're a friend, why wouldn't I want you here?"

He watched as she let out a slow breath – and was convinced that he saw tears in her eyes. But before he could prove that she had opened the door and was moving away. "See you Jack," she called over her shoulder. "Thanks again."

"Yeah – goodbye Carter. See you soon."

He watched until her car pulled away- and noticed that she didn't once glance at him. Even after her car was gone he stood in the doorway, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened.

He finally went inside – and headed to the kitchen where he grabbed a beer. He then made his way into his living room and sat down.

And replayed the entire last portion of the evening.

He thought about Sam's discomfort. Had he said something wrong? He thought back, but couldn't figure out anything he'd said or done that would upset her. He wondered again about her question. "was it enough?" What did she mean by that, and why had she looked upset when he called her a friend. Surely she thought that was a good thing?

Finally, in frustration, he picked up the phone and dialed.

" _Hello_."

"Daniel, hi, it's me Jack."

" _Jack – what's up? That was a fun day. Are the kids asleep?"_

"Yes, it was fun and yes, the kids are asleep. Daniel, did you notice anything wrong with Carter?"

" _With Sam?" the other man asked in surprise. "Uh no. She seemed fine to me. Why? What's wrong?"_

Jack sighed. "I don't know if anything is wrong. She stayed after you guys left and seemed – I don't know – off. I just thought maybe she'd said something."

There was a pause, and then – "S _he stayed?"_

"Yeah – she was helping clean up the dishes."

 _"Oh. And did she say anything_?"

"Like what?"

" _I don't know Jack – you're the one who said she was acting strange._ "

"No –she didn't say anything – at least – nothing that seemed to make sense. She just seemed – I don't know. At one point I said something about being friends and she looked – upset. Why would she be upset at me calling her my friend?"

There was dead silence on the phone and Jack actually looked at it to make sure it was still working. "Daniel?"

" _Yeah_?"

"Are you there?"

" _Yeah. Uh – I think I might_ -"

"You think you might _what_? What the hell is wrong with everyone tonight? Why don't you say what you want to say?"

" _I just - I don't think it's my place_."

"Your place to _what_?" Jack asked, growing ever more frustrated.

" _I don't want to interfere_."

"Since when," Jack sighed. "Daniel – could you please tell me what the hell is going on?"

" _Jack – think about what you just told me. You told me Sam was upset when you said you were friends_."

"Yeah – so what? I told you, I thought that was weird. It was actually kind of hurtful."

" _Jack_ , _think about it_!"

"Daniel -". Suddenly Jack stopped, a sudden idea popping into his head. It couldn't be, could it? He wasn't _that_ obtuse, was he?

" _What_?"

"I'll call you back." Slowly – ever so slowly, Jack turned off the phone and laid it down on the table beside him. He stared off into space for a moment. Could it be?

He had to shake himself slightly. For so long he had forced himself not to think of Carter in that way – to think of her only as his Second in Command. For a few years he'd – well he'd cared for her more than he should. But he'd worked on that and had turned off those feelings. She was simply a soldier under his command.

But that had changed over the last few months as _they were no longer in the same chain of command!_

He pounded on the arm of his chair. "You _idiot_ O'Neill!" he told himself. She was trying to let you know and he'd just – been a complete _ass_! God, no wonder she'd looked upset.

He wanted to get up and do something – but couldn't leave with the children in bed. But – he didn't _want_ to leave it the way it was. He didn't want to leave her upset.

He picked up the phone again.

"Daniel?"

" _Yeah_?"

"Can you come over."

" _Now_?"

"Yes, right now."

There was another pause – but after a second Daniel replied. _"Sure Jack, I'll be right over_."

As Jack hung up the phone he couldn't help but shake his head. Daniel had sounded way too pleased with himself.

Jack practically pulled Daniel into his house as soon as he got there. He glanced at his watch – it was almost 10:00 o'clock.

"I'm sure it's not too late," Daniel told him. Jack was sure he saw a smirk, although when he looked carefully there was no obvious expression on his friend's face.

"Yeah – well – I won't be long. The kids shouldn't wake up, but if they do just give James a bottle of water – and Beth has a sippy cup."

"Don't worry Jack – I know how to look after them. Now _go_. And good luck!"

Jack just grunted and left the house and got into his truck. He sat for a few seconds, but then took a deep breath and turned the key. He suddenly felt exactly like he had just before a life and death battle.

He sat outside of Sam's house long enough that he worried someone would call the police.

"Hell O'Neill, move your ass!" With that self-admonition he opened the door and made his way slowly – very slowly – to her front door. It was almost 10:30 by this time, but he could see that her lights were still on.

Gathering every bit of courage, he rang her doorbell. He waited, his heart almost pounding out of his chest – until he heard her footsteps. A second later he saw the peep hole darken. He was pretty sure he heard an exclamation from her and the next moment the door was wrenched open.

"Sir? Jack?" she said quickly, with a frown. "What is it? Is something wrong? Where are the children?"

"Hi. Uh – the kids are fine. Daniel is watching them."

She looked at him, her head bent forward as if waiting for more of an explanation. "Sir, what are you doing here?"

"Can I come in?" he asked suddenly.

She frowned some more – the lines looking stark between her brows. "Uh – okay." She stood back and waited for him to enter. Closing the door behind him she again regarded him. "Jack – why are you here?"

"Because I'm an idiot," he told her.

"What?"

"I'm an idiot. At least I _hope_ I'm an idiot."

"You _hope_ you're an idiot?" she asked, now sounding confused.

"Yeah – I -" he closed his eyes and took a breath. "Look – Sam – I – you know that for a long time I felt – more than I was supposed to for you?"

Her face suddenly grew still – but she nodded. "Yes."

"But after we said we'd leave it in the room – well, I worked hard _not_ to feel that way anymore."

This time her face looked as if it was carved from marble. "Yes, I understand. It's okay Sir – I mean Jack. I know we're just friends. You don't have to – to think -"

"No," he interrupted. "That's not what I wanted to say. I mean – for a long time I thought that you were nothing more than a soldier under my command. Oh – not _just_. I regarded you – I regard you – as a friend, a good friend. But I wouldn't let myself think anything more than that. And you see, I got into that habit."

"I told you Jack – it's okay."

"But it's not Sam. Because – over the last few months – well, my feelings _have_ changed. Or at least – I wasn't able to trick myself anymore. I began to – think of you as more than a friend – even though I didn't admit it to myself. Like I said – I'd gotten in the habit of thinking of you a certain way, even though inside I still cared for you -"

" – more than you're supposed to?" she asked, with little emotion in her voice.

"No – more than I even knew. Sam – I don't know if I read you wrong – or if – this is a mistake – but, I _do_ care for you – not as my second in command, and not just as a friend. But if you don't – if you just want to be -"

His words were suddenly cut off when Sam put her hands on his face, leaned forward, and planted a searing kiss on his mouth.

The kiss went on for a long time – first as he froze in shock, and then as he began to participate wholeheartedly. It was only as his oxygen began to get seriously depleted that he lifted his head.

"I guess – I didn't read you wrong," he said breathlessly.

"It took you long enough, Jack," she told him.

"It did?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes! I've been trying to let you know for _months_ how I felt – but you continued to treat me like – like _Teal'c_!"

"I did not!"

"Yes you did."

"I did not," he repeated. "I have never, ever thought of you the same way I think of Teal'c – or Daniel."

"Well, you could have fooled me! I even thought of coming over in my bikini one day to see if I'd get you to see me differently!"

"A bikini?" he asked, his face brightening. "You have a bikini?"

"Jack! We're having a conversation here about you being an idiot!" she told him fondly.

"Yes – but a _bikini_ Carter? Can I see it?"

"Not now," she grinned. "but if you're good – maybe one day soon."

"I'll be good Carter – really, really good."

She laughed and leaned forward and put her arms around him. "So what made you finally figure it out. I thought that tonight you'd understand, but when you didn't – well -"

He sighed. "I called Daniel."

" _Daniel_?" she leaned back and scowled at him. "It took Daniel to make you figure it out."

"Hey – he didn't say anything. I just needed someone to – I don't know – talk to. I figured it out myself."

She snorted and leaned back into him. "He's going to gloat you know."

"Crap," he agreed. "Let's keep it from him."

"But isn't he babysitting?"

"Yeah – so."

"So what are you going to tell him when you get back?"

"Uh – I'll say I went for ice cream."

" _Jack!"_

"Okay – fine. But I still figured it out. It just took me a while." There was silence for a few moments as the two of them simply enjoyed holding one another.

"So – would you just have let me go if I hadn't finally figured it out?"

"No. I'd decided I was going to have to hit you over the head and drag you home with me," she told him.

"In your bikini?"

* * *

That night, as Jack went to sleep, he realized that life really couldn't get any better than it was right now, at this very moment.

One of his best friends (who had been good and who hadn't said anything other than "I told you so") was sleeping in his guest room. His other friend – the Jaffa, his brother, was close and would always be part of his life.

He had two wonderful children to love – and best of all – tonight he'd found out that he still loved and was loved by an amazing woman.

And she had promised to wear her bikini for him one day soon.

Life was wonderful.


End file.
